how to stay focused on an assignment

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How to Concentrate on Your Homework

Last Updated: June 24, 2024 References

This article was co-authored by Josh Jones and by wikiHow staff writer, Megaera Lorenz, PhD . Josh Jones is the CEO and Founder of Test Prep Unlimited, a GMAT prep tutoring service. Josh built the world's first and only score guarantee program for private GMAT tutoring. He has presented at the QS World MBA Tour and designed math curricula for Chicago Public Schools. He has over 15 years of private tutoring and classroom teaching experience and a BA in Math from the University of Chicago. There are 15 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 437,539 times.

Focusing on homework can be tough, especially when you’d rather be doing anything else. Maybe your attention keeps wandering back to your phone, your stomach is growling, or you just want to put your head down and take a nap. The good news is that you can beat these distractions and get back on track with a few easy changes to your study routine.

Move around or stretch while you work.

• Try sitting on an exercise ball or wobbly chair when you’re doing your homework. The movement may help you stay focused.

Fuel up with water and healthy snacks.

• Apple slices with peanut butter
• Nuts, especially almonds
• Greek yogurt
• Fruit salad
• Dark chocolate

Put away anything that might make it hard to concentrate.

• Some people actually concentrate better with a little noise in the background. If it helps you to have some quiet music on, that’s totally fine! But if you find that it distracts you, turn it off.

Block distracting apps and websites on your computer or tablet.

• For example, you might need to block apps or websites like Facebook or YouTube while you’re working.
• If you get alerts or notifications on your device, turn them off so they won’t distract you. The last thing you need is your tablet blowing up with Facebook notifications while you’re trying to work!

Work on one assignment at a time.

• Don’t try to text your friends or have a conversation with a family member while you’re doing homework, either.

Break your assignments into smaller tasks.

• For example, if you’re supposed to read a book chapter and write a report, start by skimming the chapter headings for important points. Then, read the whole chapter and take notes. Next, make an outline for your report. After that, write the report, and finish up by checking it for mistakes.
• If you have more than one assignment to work on, make a to-do list and put the hardest or most important projects first.

Redirect your attention if you notice your mind wandering.

• It can help to pick a specific thing to focus on to bring yourself back to the present. For example, pay attention to your breathing or to any sounds you can hear around you.
• If you’re working with a friend or family member, ask them to help you stay on track. They can say something like, “Are you focused?” or tap you on the shoulder if they notice you getting distracted. [9] X Trustworthy Source Understood Nonprofit organization dedicated to resources and support to people with thinking differences, such as ADHD or dyslexia Go to source

Fidget with something to help you focus.

• Fidgets are great concentration aids for some people, but are distracting for others. Don’t keep using a fidget if it’s taking your mind off your work.

Turn your homework into a game to make it more fun.

• You can also turn it into a game with a friend or family member. For example, take turns quizzing each other and give points for each right answer. Whoever gets the most points wins the game.
• Or, if you’d rather not play a structured game, try making up a story about what you’re doing. For instance, if you’re studying history, imagine yourself living in the time period you’re learning about.

Try working with a study buddy.

• You could even get together with a small group. Trade notes, quiz each other, or just hang out quietly while you all do homework together.

Take a break at least once an hour.

• You can also use a timer to make sure your breaks don’t go on too long. Remember, the sooner you get back to work, the sooner you can get it done!
• If you’re feeling really restless, frustrated, or distracted, it’s okay to take a break ahead of schedule. Give yourself a few minutes to unwind, then try again.

Pick a time when you feel awake and rested if possible.

• Make it a routine to do your homework at the same time each day. For example, if you’re an evening person, try doing it right after supper every night. [16] X Research source Having a schedule will make your work feel less overwhelming.
• You can’t always choose the perfect time to do your homework, but having a routine can still help you get in the zone when it’s time to work! Once you pick a time, try to stick to it.

Study in a quiet, comfortable spot.

• If you’re studying at home with your family, ask them to keep it down while you work.
• Be careful studying in your room—if you use a space where you usually sleep or relax, it’ll be hard to get into homework mode! Set aside a spot just for homework, and don’t do your work in bed. [18] X Research source
• Finding a good study space can be tough, especially if there are other people around. If you can’t find a quiet spot, put on some noise-canceling headphones. Listen to white noise or peaceful music without vocals to help you tune out background sounds.

Organize your study supplies.

• If you like to nibble while you study, set your snacks out before you get started.
• If there’s stuff in your study space that you don’t need, take a few minutes to clean it up or put it away before you start working. Put completed assignments in their folders and throw away any trash.

Move to a new study spot if you’re feeling bored.

• Even changing your usual study space a little can help. For example, put up some new decorations or move to the other side of the dining table.
• It seems weird, but just the right amount of background noise can actually help you concentrate! That’s one reason some people work better in coffee shops or study halls.

Reward yourself with something fun when you’re done.

• For example, you could watch an episode of your favorite TV show, play a game you like, or call up a friend.

Supercharge Your Studying with this Expert Series

Expert Q&A

Reader Videos

• Try mindful meditation to help you focus and relax. [21] X Trustworthy Source Greater Good Magazine Journal published by UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center, which uses scientific research to promote happier living Go to source Look for mindful meditation videos online or use an app like Calm or Smiling Mind to help you practice. The more you practice, the easier it’ll be to use your mindfulness skills when you need them—like when you’re doing homework. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

Tips from our Readers

• Take detailed notes in class to help you. If you are able to, type on the computer rather than handwrite (it won't make your hand ache, and it's faster, so long as you don't get distracted). Also, don't wear your most casual clothes for homework, as this will relax you and will make you focus less. Don't look at how much more you have to do; look at what you've done already, as this will make your assignments seem less daunting.
• I used to have some trouble focusing on homework because I would always try to watch YouTube while doing it. It helped me to set a timer for 20 or so minutes and work on homework. Then I would take a 10 minute break. It helped me do homework without frying my brain.
• When rewarding yourself, don't reward yourself with television or games. Sometimes it'll turn into procrastination. Instead, reward yourself with small stretches or a favorite snack.
• If you need to use the bathroom or anything while you are working, assign a number of questions that you have to finish to use the bathroom. This will make you want to work harder!
• Put your phone on airplane mode. This will mute your phone and you will have to manually put it back to regular mode. Only switch it off when you're done with all your work.
• If you have something that you seriously don't want to do, take small 5-minute breaks between steps. This will calm your stress and help you concentrate more.

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://learningcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/movement-and-learning/
• ↑ https://www.sacap.edu.za/blog/applied-psychology/how-to-concentrate-on-studies/
• ↑ https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/focused.html
• ↑ https://www.commonsense.org/education/articles/5-ways-to-help-students-manage-digital-distractions-and-stay-on-track
• ↑ https://today.uconn.edu/2015/07/multitasking-increases-study-time-lowers-grades/#
• ↑ https://www.pbs.org/parents/thrive/tips-for-helping-your-child-focus-and-concentrate
• ↑ https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_to_focus_a_wandering_mind
• ↑ https://www.understood.org/en/learning-thinking-differences/child-learning-disabilities/add-adhd/how-to-improve-focus-in-kids
• ↑ https://www.understood.org/en/learning-thinking-differences/child-learning-disabilities/distractibility-inattention/child-trouble-focusing
• ↑ https://www.oxford-royale.com/articles/10-ways-fun-study/
• ↑ https://www.washburn.edu/academics/center-student-success/student-success-collaborative/Navigate-Study-Buddies.pdf
• ↑ https://time.com/3518053/perfect-break/
• ↑ https://www.uindy.edu/studentcounseling/files/studyingfromhomeduringcoronavirusdukekunshanu.pdf
• ↑ https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20210114-why-youre-more-creative-in-coffee-shops
• ↑ https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_to_practice_mindfulness_throughout_your_work_day

About This Article

To concentrate on your homework, start by settling into a quiet place and putting your phone away so it's not a distraction. Then, tackle your hardest or most time-consuming homework assignments first to get them out of the way. Try to finish each task before moving onto something else since jumping between assignments can disrupt your focus. Also, take 5-minute breaks every 30 minutes so your homework doesn't feel endless and you have something to look forward to. To learn how to stay motivated while doing your homework, scroll down! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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• Published on September 15, 2022
• September 15, 2022

How to Focus on Homework and Actually Get Things Done: 12 Hacks for Busy Students

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Chances are, you’ve had some days when you felt overwhelmed after a long day at school. You couldn’t imagine doing anything other than plopping down in front of the television, let alone finding out how to focus on your homework. 

How can you overcome the resistance and get it done? How do you get your mind to include this task in your day as well?

With just a few adjustments, you will be able to expand your capacity to concentrate.

Why Can’t I Focus on My Homework?

Countless factors constantly fight for your attention : social media, people, overthinking, and anxiety. All of this can make you feel as though you have little control over your mind. 

If you want to start to focus better on your homework, you’ll need to set your mind up for success. Remove all distractions .

Here are two key principles that can help you be more successful in your studies:

1. Identify the distractions in your surroundings

What are the things in your daily life that take your mind away from your studies? Clearly identifying these distractions can help you understand both the problem and what causes it.

Among our environmental distractions, digital distractions are one of the worst kinds, and according to a number of studies , their effect is on the rise in the classroom.

If you’re looking to gain more concentration and, thus, form better study habits, question your online behavior first and foremost.

2. Limit the use of technology to find focus

What’s the role of social media in your daily life? Have you ever sat down to calculate how social media distracts you from doing the things you should be doing?

When you are wondering how to focus on homework long after you’ve put your phone away, you’re still thinking about the last posts you saw on Instagram. The sound of new notifications can be enough to reroute our attention from the task at hand.

And then comes the information overload, the fear of missing out, and the all-too-common signs of addictive behavior. Technology is affecting your mind more than ever, and it’s taking your focus away.

How to Focus on Homework: 12 Things You Can Do to Be More Indistractible

Here are 12 tips on how to stay focused while completing your homework, taught by superbrain coach Jim Kwik and habit transformation expert Nir Eyal .

• Make a routine
• Set up a study-friendly environment
• Avoid heavy meals
• Organize your study notes
• Tell others to stay away
• Listen to study music
• Set deadlines
• Take brain breaks
• Use discomfort as motivation for productivity
• Use time blocking
• Let go of thoughts that distract you
• Reimagine your task

Let’s look at each study hack in more detail.

1. Make a routine

Routines help you be productive without exerting as much effort. When you have homework to do, a study routine can be the reason you actually sit down, set enough time aside, concentrate, and stay focused until you complete the project.

This process doesn’t need to be complicated: just tell yourself that you will sit at your desk at home once you’re back from school. Put your phone on silent, make an outline of the work that needs to get done, and simply begin with what’s most important.

2. Set up a study-friendly environment

A place for everything and everything in its place. That applies to studying, too.

Lying in bed with your notebook is considered a distraction, as is being in the living room with your laptop while others are doing their activities.

You need an isolated place when you decide to focus on your homework. Make it feel comfortable, keep it organized, keep it clean, and consider putting up some motivational posters or positive affirmations .

3. Avoid heavy meals

It’s not advisable to have a big meal beforehand. Big meals can ruin your focus and make you feel sluggish and lazy because it takes a big amount of time and energy for your body to digest. A snack is okay.

There are also some foods , though, that are just plain bad for your productivity. For example, soda, candy, and fried foods are all full of sugar and have no nutritional value. They make your insulin spike up, but then it crashes very fast, which makes you feel depleted of energy.

4. Organize your study notes

Prioritize your work. Keep lists and place the most important items on top. Then work on the items that you should get done first.

It helps to outline what you need to do, breaking it down into smaller, more manageable steps. Use colors to highlight the essentials . 

This makes it all look much simpler and you’re more likely to actually get started. The brain loves organization and it won’t be so likely to procrastinate when it knows you have a structure set in place.

5. Tell others to stay away

Don’t be afraid to let others know that you’re studying and require some time and space to get your work done. Decide on fixed hours for studying and tell your friends and family members that you won’t be available during that time of the day.

If others respect your study time, you’ll be more inclined to respect it as well. 

6. Listen to study music

There are many tracks out there designed to help your mind focus. Whether you use binaural beats or just instrumental music, the right sounds can really help to tune your brain into a productive frequency.

This meditation is also great to listen to; it puts your mind in a clear, concise, and ready-to-take-on-the-world mode:

7. Set deadlines

Even if your teacher has already given you deadlines for each assignment, set new ones yourself at earlier dates.

This helps you build discipline, learn how to focus on studying, and prioritize every day.

8. Take brain breaks

Frequent breaks actually increase your productivity and focus. You’ll see that after each study session, the brain needs to be engaged with something different —  you need to activate other parts of your brain before going back to your studies so that you can reach top performance.

You can also use the Superbrain Yoga Technique. In the Superbrain Quest, Jim talks about implementing it during your breaks. It goes as follows:

• Massage the left lobe of your ear with your right hand, and the right one with your left hand
• Inhale and squat down
• Exhale and come back up while continuing massaging your opposite ear with the opposite hand
• Keep going for a few minutes

As your body moves, your brain grooves. — Jim Kwik, trainer of Mindvalley’s Superbrain Quest

9. Use discomfort as motivation for productivity

The brain is wired to protect us from danger, and our ancestors needed this function of the psyche to survive. Discomfort is associated with danger, and whenever they felt it, they knew it was time to run away or protect themselves in one way or another.

In today’s world, danger isn’t so imminent. However, discomfort is, and the brain still works to protect us in the same way. 

So why not use it to your advantage?

Once you have this mindset shift, you can see the discomfort that comes with doing your homework as fuel for moving forward, from pain to pleasure. So instead of procrastinating and avoiding the discomfort, just use it as motivation to get things done.

And maybe you can even save yourself a fun activity to do later in the day, so you have something to look forward to.

10. Use time blocking

You can use time blocking and set a specific amount of time for parts of your homework that needs to be done. For example, you block 30 minutes of reading, then another 30 minutes of writing down highlights from the text. 

This method will give you more structure and support you when you need to focus on school work, as you will have a dedicated structured time to do so.

11. Let go of thoughts that distract you

When you need more concentration, but your thoughts keep getting in the way, here’s a fun visualization exercise you can use:

• Before you start working on your homework, close down your eyes and imagine a flowing river in front of you. 
• Now, place every thought on a leaf and let it run down the river while watching it move away from you. 

Do this repeatedly for 5-10 minutes and see how your mind becomes clearer, more productive, and more inspired.

12. Reimagine your task

How can you make the process of doing your homework more fun? Is there any way you can think of to make it more exciting and engaging?

As you introduce play and fun into any task, your capacity to stay focused will increase. So just try out different methods to engage more in your homework. 

For example, what if you made a trivia quest about your history lesson homework? Or what about riddles to make you remember all the characters from the novel you have to read? 

Once you play around with these kinds of games, you might find that focusing on your homework isn’t as boring as you thought it would be.

Unleash the Power of Your Focus

Discovering how to focus on your homework can go beyond schoolwork and actually support you in many other activities you want to do. Concentration is one of the best skills to nurture for your growth.

If you need a little guidance at the beginning of your focusing journey, Mindvalley has it in store for you. 

By unlocking your FREE Mindvalley access , you can check out sample classes from quests that help you develop better focus and study habits, such as Becoming Focused and Indistractable by Nir Eyal and Superbrain by Jim Kwik. You can also immerse yourself in beautiful sounds and guided meditations designed to improve concentration and help you enter the flow state.

The earlier you start, the greater your journey of self-discovery will be. Welcome in.

— Images generated on Midjourney.

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Join the foremost expert in memory improvement and brain performance, Jim Kwik, in a free masterclass that will dive into the one skill you will ever need — learning how to learn Enroll for free

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Jim Kwik is a brain coach and a world expert in speed reading, memory improvement, and optimal brain performance.

Known as the “boy with the broken brain” due to a childhood injury, Jim discovered strategies to dramatically enhance his mental performance.

He is now committed, through programs like Mindvalley’s Superbrain and Speed Reading Quest , to helping people improve their memory, learn to speed-read, increase their decision-making skills, and turn on their superbrain.

He has also shared his techniques with Hollywood actors, Fortune 500 companies, and trailblazing entrepreneurs like Elon Musk and Richard Branson to reach their highest level of mental performance. He is also one of the most sought-after trainers for top organizations like Harvard University, Nike, Virgin, and GE.

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How to Focus on Homework to Get It Done on Time

By Dr. Robert Gordon, CPC   |  05/16/2023

For many students, one of the most difficult parts of their academic journey is figuring out how to manage their time and stay focused. It isn't just a challenge for school students in modern education – many working professionals also struggle with successful time management!

Therefore, mastering time management skills as a student can not only benefit you during your academic pursuits, but also throughout your professional career. It's important for students to learn how to focus on homework so they're completing assignments on time and not rushing through the learning process.

Yet despite your best efforts and planning, there will likely come a time when you find yourself running out of time to complete homework assignments.

How to Focus on Homework When You're Almost Out of Time

Is your homework deadline fast approaching? Are you unsure how you're going to complete an assignment in time? If you find yourself in this situation, the first recommended action is to assess the remaining time before the homework is due.

Depending on how many hours you have before the deadline, you might still be able to focus on homework to complete it on time. I would recommend at least doing some work on your assignment to get it going.

If you decide to ask the instructor for an extension, there's no guarantee they'll grant it to you. If you don't receive an extension, you should try to submit something, even if it's incomplete. Any score is better than a zero or incomplete.

5 Steps to Help You Focus on Homework That's Due Soon

Here is some advice about how to complete homework when your time is limited.

Tip #1: Eliminate Distractions and Find a Creative Environment

Start by eliminating any distractions that might prevent you from being able to focus on homework. Turn off your phone or other media devices and do not visit distracting websites, like social media platforms or online gaming sites. These harmful distractions will only prevent you from being able to maintain your focus on homework.

Also, gather your study supplies and find a quiet study space where you can focus on homework without a lot of background noise. If you can't find a quiet place, consider playing white noise or calm music such as classical music from classical composers – whatever you prefer listening to that helps you maintain focus!

Such music or other calming sounds can help drown out loud conversations or other distractions. That elimination of distractions is particularly beneficial if you're working in public places like coffee shops or libraries.

As you prepare to focus for a long period of time, remember that you'll need to still take care of yourself and you likely won't be able to complete your homework in one sitting. The human brain needs sustenance and breaks, especially if you're staring at a computer screen for several hours.

Be sure to pack healthy snacks and a water bottle. If you start to feel tired, start to fall asleep, or find your mind wandering, take a short break to get fresh air and get your blood flowing. Eating healthy snacks can help keep you awake and allow your brain to focus on homework.

I recommend scheduling a break ahead of time so you have something to look forward to and maintain focus during allotted work times. Giving your brain and body a break periodically will help you feel awake and stay motivated in the long run so you can continue to focus on completing your homework.

Also, be sure to communicate your homework study plan to a family member or others around you. They are more likely to give you space and limit distractions if they know you are busy and need some quiet time to stay focused on getting your homework assignments done.

Tip #2: Divide a Homework Assignment into Manageable Tasks

Break your school assignment down into smaller tasks. Make a list of what needs to be done for that particular assignment, set priorities to focus on, and start at the top of your list.

Many times, a written project will require some library research. Preparing for a test might mean reviewing notes, flashcards, and course materials. A list of necessary tasks will help you stay organized, stay focused, and avoid feeling overwhelmed.

Tip #3: Seek Out Assistance

When it comes to homework, you don't have to go it alone. Many universities provide online resources to help out. Online libraries may provide resource material or special learning tools that can help you expedite your research efforts and help you through the educational process.

Perhaps you can find a study buddy from your class to help you do your homework quicker or share study notes. Meeting in a group study room, for example, may help you stay accountable, minimize distractions, and, ultimately, stay focused on completing your schoolwork.

Most universities also provide tutoring services. Reaching out to a tutor assumes you have at least a day or two before turning in your assignment, so if you've got limited time it will likely be hard to schedule time with a tutor. However, if your instructor approves an extension for the assignment, working with a tutor can be an excellent part of your plan to complete your homework.

Leveraging these school resources and support can help you understand your assigned material better, maintain focus, and often complete work faster.

Tip #4: If You Are Granted an Extended Deadline, Stick with It

If your instructor agrees to extend your deadline and submit work late, adhere to that deadline. Set time aside to complete all the tasks for that one assignment and hold yourself accountable.

If you run behind on one task, you must work even harder to stay on track. Keeping to a task list, establishing a study routine, and having progressive deadlines will help you maintain focus and stay motivated.

Tip #5: Review and Edit Your Work Thoroughly

Be sure to carefully proofread and edit any written school assignments, especially if you’re running late. Checking over your work before submitting it makes you more likely to catch any errors or mistakes.

Many times, the best way to find errors is to read your paper aloud. Once you hear what you’ve written, your mistakes will be evident.

In addition, consider using a tool like Grammarly to help edit your work. You can also have someone else read the paper and offer comments. If there is enough time, a tutor can also be used to edit your class assignments.

Uh-Oh, Homework Is Due Soon: How to Ask for an Extension

If a homework assignment is due in mere hours, contact your instructor immediately to explain your situation and request more time.

But before you email, text, or call your instructor, take some time to do research and make a reasonable proposal. You should review your class syllabus or course materials regarding class assignment deadlines and late penalties.

Some universities have a policy not to accept homework turned in three to seven days after a deadline, so knowing the parameters of being late is critical for your request to the instructor. For example, if school policy does not allow an instructor to accept late work after three days, then it is not a good idea to propose turning in your work a week after the deadline.

When you contact your instructor, offer the instructor a new deadline for your work and ask about late penalties. Those late penalties are usually in the syllabus or course materials, but instructors often have some leeway in enforcing them. Getting an instructor’s agreement in writing will be helpful if anything goes wrong or if the instructor forgets the deal regarding the late schoolwork.

Be Sure to Tell Your Instructor Why Class Assignments Will Be Late

You should also explain the reason for your inability to complete the assignment. Always tell the truth, as karma has a way of catching up with people. There could be unusual circumstances or disruptions in your life, such as:

• Changes in work
• New military orders or work assignments
• Family problems
• Birth or adoption of a child
• Other life events

I would not recommend claiming that you do not understand the assignment as your excuse for being late. If you did not understand your class assignment, why are you waiting until hours before it is due to ask questions?

If you are in a situation where the deadline is very close, read the assignment a couple of times to ensure you understand it. If you have a question about your class assignment, you can ask your professor when you request an extension.

However, there's a good chance you may not get a response from them until after the assignment is due. In the future, read the assignment at the start of the week and ask a question about it then.

Granting Extensions Depend on the Instructor, But It's Worth Asking

As an instructor, I typically stick to what is stated in the syllabus or course materials when I’m choosing to impose penalties for late work. However, there are some cases where I am flexible. Getting an agreement in writing ensures you get what you expect, rather than having your instructor forget about the reason you’re late with your class assignments.  

The process of asking for an extension will be difficult, and there is no guarantee that your teacher will accept late work. Some classes and instructors are adamant about not accepting late work. I would still recommend asking before the deadline, as you might be successful.

By following the advice I have recommended, you can hopefully complete your schoolwork on time and avoid late submission penalties on homework assignments.

If you do need to ask your instructor for an extension, remember that they are not obligated to grant it to you. Be ready to accept the lost points and work harder on your remaining school assignments.

By making a few easy changes in your homework preparation and planning, you can hopefully avoid needing to rush through homework assignments or asking for an extension. Learning how to focus on homework assignments in advance may help you enjoy the learning process more and complete coursework on time.

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Need Help Staying Focused? Try These 10 Tips

If you have trouble staying on task or paying attention to the details, eliminating distractions like your phone or trying techniques like Pomodoro timers or SMART goals may help.

If there’s one thing we could all probably use a lot more of, it’s the ability to focus. But telling yourself to stay focused on a task, especially a mundane one, is often easier said than done.

The good news? Several techniques can help you zone in on the task in front of you. If you need help staying focused, try one — or all 10 — of these tips.

What causes poor attention to detail?

All people can experience poor attention to detail or have trouble focusing sometimes. Some contributing factors may include:

• being hungry
• being tired or having poor-quality sleep
• being stressed
• feeling worried or anxious
• being distracted by something in your environment

Sometimes, managing the cause of your inability to focus can help resolve the issue. But if you often experience poor attention to detail or have difficulty staying engaged in tasks that require your full attention, it may be a symptom of another condition.

These may include:

• attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• learning disorders like dyslexia
• conditions that affect the quality of your sleep, like insomnia or sleep apnea
• conditions that cause fatigue, like hypothyroidism
• post-traumatic stress disorder
• concentration deficit disorder

Doctors may also want to rule out conditions such as hearing loss and developmental disorders in children.

If your difficulties staying focused result from a condition, a healthcare professional can help you find a treatment that may improve your focus.

You may also find that the following behavioral practices may help you approach your tasks with greater engagement and attention.

1. Get rid of distractions

First things first: You need to eliminate distractions. While you can’t do away with everything, you can make an effort to reduce or get rid of as many distractions as possible.

Start with the simple things like:

• moving to a quiet area
• turning off notifications on your phone or turning your phone off altogether
• closing the door to your office
• telling those around you not to distract you for a period of time
• closing out of programs or apps that aren’t essential on your computer
• playing calming ambient music or white noise
• declutter the space where you will be working

2. Coffee in small doses

Drinking coffee, or other caffeinated beverages, in small doses may positively impact your ability to focus.

A 2021 study found that caffeine may positively affect sustained attention.

The key to taking advantage of caffeine’s cognitive-enhancing properties is to consume it in moderation. If you drink too much of it , you may feel anxious or nervous, which generally reduces your ability to stay focused.

3. Practice the Pomodoro technique

Staying focused helps you get more done in less time. While that sounds simple enough, it’s not always easy to put into practice. So, the next time you’re wrestling with your attention span, try the Pomodoro technique .

This timing method helps you train your brain to stay on task for short periods. Here’s how it works:

• Set your timer for 25 minutes and get to work.
• When the buzzer sounds, take a 5-minute break.
• Then, set the timer again and get back to work.
• Once you’ve done four rounds of this, you can take a longer break, approximately 20 to 30 minutes.

4. Put a lock on social media

If your idea of a break from work is checking Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok every 5 minutes, you may want to consider an app that blocks social media.

Several apps work for your phone, tablet, or computer. In addition to social media, some of these distraction-busting programs also allow you to block online games as well as apps and sites like YouTube, Netflix, Amazon, Twitter, text messages, and even email.

Some popular social media blockers include Freedom, AppBlock, FocusMe, and Focus.

5. Fuel your body 

We all know what happens when “hanger” strikes. This dreaded combination of hunger and anger is a major focus fail.

So, to keep your brain focused, energy levels up, and emotions calm, make sure you don’t delay or skip meals.

Try to balance lean protein , complex carbohydrates , and healthy fats to stay fueled. Snack on fresh fruit, veggies, nuts, or seeds if you get hungry between meals, and be sure to keep yourself hydrated with plenty of water.

And, for an extra boost, Harvard Medical School says to include a few of these “best brain foods” in your day:

• green, leafy vegetables like kale, spinach, and broccoli
• fatty fish such as salmon
• berries, like blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, or blackberries
• tea and coffee for the caffeine, in moderation

6. Get enough sleep

It’s no secret that the majority of Americans are lacking in the sleep department. While a few nights of minimal sleep is okay, not getting enough sleep most nights of the week can negatively impact both your short and long-term memory , as well as your ability to concentrate.

The recommended amount of sleep for adults ages 18 to 60 is 7 or more hours a night. Older adults may need up to 9 hours per night.

To boost your sleep health, try to:

• Avoid caffeinated beverages after lunchtime.
• Switch off or put away all electronic devices an hour before bedtime. The light from these devices can stimulate your brain and prevent you from feeling sleepy. Some devices may allow you to switch them to “warm” light.
• Take time to wind down . Read a book, take a warm bath, or listen to soothing music.
• Keep your bedroom cool and quiet . According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an ideal temperature is between 65 and 68°F (18.3 and 20°C).
• Keep your bedroom dark, or use a sleeping mask. Block out light, especially white and blue light, from your bedroom with room-darkening curtains or shades if you can. Otherwise, consider using a sleeping mask.

7. Set a SMART goal

If your lack of focus results from feeling overwhelmed by a complex project, try breaking it down into smaller parts and plugging the smaller steps into the SMART formula.

SMART stands for:

• Specific. What exactly needs to be done?
• Measurable. How will you track your progress?
• Achievable. Is it realistic? Can it be done by the deadline?
• Relevant. How does it fit with the overall plan or bigger goal?
• Timely. When does it need to be done?

When you take a large, complex project and break it down into smaller, bite-sized tasks, you can improve your ability to concentrate and focus on specific tasks. That’s because you end up with goals you feel like you can accomplish.

8. Be more mindful

Does your mind tend to wander away from where it’s supposed to be? Don’t worry. You’re definitely not alone. Distracted thinking is common and something we all experience.

However, these short mental vacations often make it harder to focus on the task in front of you. That’s where mindfulness comes in.

Being mindful means maintaining moment-to-moment awareness of where you are and what you’re doing — which is great news when trying to stay focused.

By being mindful and recognizing when your attention starts to drift, you can quickly bring your focus back to where it needs to be. Plus, you can train your brain to be more mindful by practicing breathing techniques, meditation, and mindful movement, such as yoga.

Plus, the CDC notes it may also help:

• improve relaxation
• improve self-esteem
• manage stress
• manage symptoms of anxiety and depression
• cope with serious illness
• reduce blood pressure
• reduce pain in some instances
• improve sleep quality and reduce insomnia
• manage weight and eating behaviors

9. Make a to-do list

Let’s face it. The items on a to-do list can add up quickly. And it can be challenging to find the motivation to accomplish everything you set out to do.

The good news? Studies show that having a written plan of action can increase productivity.

After you make your list, choose two or three key tasks and put them at the top. Then rank the rest of the items in order of importance. This allows you to tackle urgent tasks when your brain is fresh, and your energy levels are high.

10. Focus on similar tasks

Tired of jumping from one type of thinking to another (aka “multitasking”)? Then pick similar tasks, group them together, and do one at a time. This makes transitions smoother, and you may get a lot more done by not jumping from one type of task to another.

Despite what you may think, multitasking is not more effective or efficient, especially when you’re having trouble staying focused. In fact, a 2019 study notes that the human brain’s structure is not capable of multitasking and works much better while focusing on a single task at a time. Working on multiple tasks simultaneously comes with a cost — whether a reduction in performance accuracy or speed.

The bottom line

Whether you’re dealing with too many competing priorities, lack of sleep, or just a simple dose of the “Mondays,” not being able to focus can really put a damper on your productivity.

That’s why it’s important to have a few simple tips and tricks at your fingertips, like the ones we described above. Knowing how to zone in on what needs to be done can help you stay on track with your most important daily tasks.

How we reviewed this article:

• Caruso CC, et al. (2020). Improve sleep: Tips to improve your sleep when times are tough. https://blogs.cdc.gov/niosh-science-blog/2020/06/29/sleep-hwd/
• Foods linked to better brain power. (2021).  https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/foods-linked-to-better-brainpower
• How much sleep do I need? (2017).  https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/about_sleep/how_much_sleep.html
• Madore KP, et al. (2019). Multicosts of multitasking. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7075496/
• Magnus W, et al. (2022). Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK441838/
• Meditation and mindfulness: What you need to know. (2022). https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/meditation-and-mindfulness-what-you-need-to-know
• Repantis D, et al. (2021). Cognitive enhancement effects of stimulants: a randomized controlled trial testing methylphenidate, modafinil, and caffeine. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7826302/
• Schrager S, et al. (2016). Getting more done: Strategies to increase scholarly productivity.  https://meridian.allenpress.com/jgme/article/8/1/10/201041/Getting-More-Done-Strategies-to-Increase-Scholarly
• Solan M. (2017). Get SMART about your goals to stay focused and on track at any age.  https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/get-smart-about-your-goals-this-strategy-can-help-you-stay-focused-and-on-track-at-any-age-2017090112113
• Spilling the beans: How much caffeine is too much? (2018).  https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/spilling-beans-how-much-caffeine-too-much

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How to focus while studying: Tips for better concentration

Use this helpful toolkit to finally focus better when studying. You'll learn how to plan effective study sessions and improve concentration.

You may enjoy being a student in your chosen field, but memorizing a stack of lecture notes so that you can pass your exams is another story entirely, especially since there are so many distracting, exciting, and colorful things in the … oh look, a butterfly!

Even top-performing students with ninja-level self-discipline struggle to stay focused while studying. The difference, however, is that they have developed the right study habits that not only get them in their chairs to study but keep them there too.

What’s their secret? How can you better concentrate while studying?

You, my friend, are holding the (virtual) answer in your hands. In this article, we're going to show you:

• How to focus from the start
• How to maintain focus and overcome daydreaming
• How to become a more focused person overall

(Also make sure you check out our guide ' Top mental strategies for studying at home ' if you're required to be productive in an environment that can sometimes be a little distracting #doomscrolling.)

How to focus while studying, from the start

Almost all of the problems associated with an inability to focus while studying fall into one of two broad categories:

• Issues of inertia: Difficulty starting to study
• Issues of daydreaming: Difficulty maintaining concentration when studying

Both have the same frustrating results but can require slightly different approaches to overcome. What you ideally need to do is calm your thoughts and minimize distractions just like you do when falling asleep, only now you're going to unleash 100% of your cognitive powers on learning and remembering!

Here’s how to do that ...

Tip # 1 for focusing while studying: Set up a peaceful, distraction-free "study bubble"

• Set out all your materials , stationery, Diet Cokes … whatever you need to learn. You shouldn’t have to get up for anything once you’ve started.
• Have a word with your family , housemates, cat, parrot, needy indoor plants … whoever you think might be a source of distraction. Explain politely that it’s study time and that you’d appreciate some quiet with minimal interruptions.
• Clear out your inbox . If there are emails that require time-consuming action, write it down on a to-do list so that you won’t forget to take care of it later. The science is clear: Multi-tasking does not actually work !
• Clear your phone of notifications and then turn it on silent so that it can’t ping and distract you. Better yet, leave it in another room. You won’t hurt Siri's feelings, we promise.
• If you’re working off a device, log out of any apps and social media that might send you distracting notifications.
• Optimize your body and brain to study . Go to the toilet, fill up your water bottle, brew a cup of coffee or tea, set out your snacks, and get a good night’s rest the night before. Internal distractions are just as important in putting your mind at ease.
• Knock out any important, potentially distracting tasks before your allotted study time—like paying a bill, feeding the cat, or breaking up with your annoying boyfriend.

Now, you don’t have to do all of the above to prepare your study bubble, but if you’re easily distracted and have a tendency to procrastinate when studying , clearing your proverbial plate can go a long way in helping you focus better.

Tip # 2 for focusing while studying: Set goals and milestones

The key to mastery is consistently devoting time to learning, whether it’s ten minutes or two hours a day. Therefore, your next step towards honing razor-sharp skills of focus is to set study goals or milestones.

Here are three steps to doing that:

Step 1: Skim the material before diving in

Start at the very beginning of the coursework you need to learn and lightly scan through everything, jotting down an outline as you go (think: roadmap). This will give you a 30,000-foot view of your subject AND prime your brain for the harder learning and memorization work to come.

Step 2: Identify your strengths and weaknesses

This will alert you to the sections and chapters you need to allocate more time . The aim is to be prepared, not surprised , when your "weakest" and least favorite topic shows up on your next exam.

Step 3: Break everything down into "bite-sized" study sessions

Now you can break your outline down into manageable daily chunks , depending on the amount of time you can spare each day to study. This isn’t an exact science so don’t be too rigid but make sure you comfortably spread everything out over the days you have left before your test or exam. And remember to devote more study time to your weaknesses!

(You can use Brainscape's free study schedules and exam planners to do this!)

How does all of this preparation help you to focus on studying from the start?

• Memory refresh: Scanning through and reviewing your study notes in order to establish a study plan refreshes your memory and helps to connect the dots on everything you’ve learned during the course or semester.
• A healthy perspective: By establishing that 30,000-foot view of what needs to be done, as well as a plan to get it done, you’ll probably feel a lot less intimidated by the task at hand.
• Motivation: With the study material broken down into smaller, more achievable milestones, you get that delicious “reward-like” sensation far more frequently. Mmm … dopamine . (Also, keeping a finger on the pulse of your study metrics can be a huge motivation because it allows you to visualize your progress toward your goals .)
• Momentum: Because this exercise isn’t memory–or even focus-intensive–it makes it easier to start, even if you have the attention span of a goldfish. And once you’ve overcome that study inertia, the momentum can kick in.

Essentially, you have just succeeded in establishing a powerful and convenient framework for learning. Good job! Now let's look at how you can stay focused while studying and maintain concentration.

How to maintain focus while studying

If it’s not external distractions (the cat, a noisy housemate, or emails plucking at your concentration), it’s internal distractions and the little siren’s song of the voice seducing you away from your books. Either way, staying focused while studying is hard . How can you overcome that particularly saucy daydream about Adriana Lima or Ryan Gosling (or both)?

Tip # 3 for staying focused while studying: Set goals that are appropriate to your mental gear

On some days, it feels like we can cruise through our study material like a Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 on an eight-lane autobahn. On other days, it's like we’re rattling down a potholed country road in an ancient pickup truck.

The trick is to recognize which gear your brain is in and shift your study approach to suit it .

If you're in a high mental gear, plan a long study session and try attacking the areas you’ve been having difficulty in. However, if you’re feeling flakey and easily distracted, shift down and instead, plan a series of short 5 to 10-minute flashcard sessions with frequent study breaks in between and some kind of reward at the end. You'll probably end up studying longer than that if you're on a roll.

The point is to capitalize on the energy you do have and still manage to study productively on the days you find your energy waning. Remember, the most productive people are skilled at managing their energy and attention , and not just their time.

Tip # 4 for staying focused while studying: Vary your learning methods

Everyone burns out after some time. There’s only so much reading and text highlighting you can do before your mind wanders. What can help enormously to re-engage your concentration is a bit of variety , both in your study environment and method :

• Try a change of scenery : Go for a walk or relocate to your local library, coffee shop, or even just a different room in your home.
• Do a round of flashcards : Take a break from your books and try a different study medium altogether, such as studying flashcards in Brainscape !
• Pepper your studies with frequent breaks: Some students follow the Pomodoro Technique , where they study for 25 minutes and then take 5 minutes off. We advise you to use natural milestones as breaks—between chapters or sub-sections—rather than blindly setting a timer that could interrupt you when you're on a roll. Find your sweet spot of time-on versus time-off and give yourself that space to breathe!
• Arrange a study session with a group of peers: This functions as a nice adjunctive method to your regular studying because (1) it holds you accountable, (2) your peers can help you address your weaknesses, and (3) in helping them, you're able to review your knowledge.

Just leave the beer at home.

Tip # 5 for maintaining study focus: Set automated study reminders

Take the guesswork and decision-making out of studying by programming study notifications into your device . You can easily do this with Brainscape, which has study streak reminders : gentle “nags” to keep your daily study streak alive.

To activate, simply go into the menu in the mobile app (left), select Notifications, and then you can then toggle on Streak Reminders (top right). Those will show up as push notifications on your phone’s home screen (bottom right) reminding you to stop what you’re doing and put in a quick study round with Brainscape. You can also customize the time of day you’d prefer to receive your reminders!

Tip # 6 for motivating yourself to study: Gamify your productivity

If you’re the pony, what’s your carrot? Is it chocolate? A 15-minute walk? A 20-minute episode of Modern Family ? Or even an actual carrot? Find what you can dangle in front of your nose as an incentive to complete a study session and then set yourself moving-target goals like “Once I finish making flashcards for this section on criminal law, I’m going to murder that Snickers bar,” or “Once I answer 10 flashcards in a row with perfect confidence, I’m going to go for a 15-minute walk."

Gamifying your productivity essentially requires that you design a reward system that makes studying feel gratifying for your brain. In other words: train your brain like you would a dog. With treats!

Tip # 7: Use the right tools to stay focused while studying!

One effective study tool that rolls all of the aforementioned hacks into one ridiculously good-looking flashcard-based learning platform is Brainscape , which breaks down content-heavy subjects into collections of bite-sized flashcards. These are then delivered to you via the hyper-efficient learning power of spaced repetition , metacognition , and active recall to help you learn twice as fast as any other study technique .

In short, Brainscape is engineered to:

• Make starting studying as easy as tapping a single button , eliminating mental inertia.
• Make learning incredibly accessible , wherever you go, even offline.
• Deliver the content to your brain in a way that is optimized for retention so you get more done in less time.
• Create a fun, engaging, and gamified study experience with tons of learning stats and awards to chase.
• Provide you with detailed study metrics so you can keep a finger on the pulse of your progress.

In other words, if you struggle with staying focused while studying, Brainscape is a powerful study tool that'll get you through any test or exam prep.

Tip # 8 on how to concentrate while studying: Give yourself a chance to reflect

Sometimes you genuinely need to take a break to reflect on your studies, as well as on the things that are distracting you. In fact, if you’re struggling to concentrate, maybe it’s because you haven't given yourself enough "reflective downtime" to process the things that are on your mind, such as an upsetting email, a pressing assignment, or a happy social development.

Opportunities for introspection include long walks, meditation, jogging, swimming, yoga, commuting, peeling potatoes, watching paint dry … any low-intensity activity that allows your brain to wander, daydream, and process. Taking a little study break to reflect, both on what you are learning and on what’s going on in your life is essential to your well-being. It’ll help improve your attention span and you’ll probably sleep better too.

How to become more focused on studying

Studying is a taxing and demanding mental activity so it’s no wonder that it tends to inspire inertia. And then maintaining focus while studying can feel like a constant battle in this digital world, with its constant distractions and slavish devotion to instant gratification.

But after reading all this, (good job by the way!) you should have a comprehensively stocked mental toolkit at your disposal. Now you know how to improve concentration, how to focus, and how to remember what you learn. You have everything you need to smash that exam into the bleachers right there in your he— SQUIRREL!

Cleveland Clinic. (2024, June 27).  Why multitasking doesn’t work . https://health.clevelandclinic.org/science-clear-multitasking-doesnt-work

Cohen, A. (2015, November 25). 3 reasons why snacks are superior to social media for distracting yourself.  Entrepreneur . https://www.entrepreneur.com/science-technology/3-reasons-why-snacks-are-superior-to-social-media-for/253124

McCormick, H. (2024, April 22).  How to Gamify your Productivity – Center for Entrepreneurship . Center for Entrepreneurship. https://cfe.umich.edu/how-to-gamify-your-productivity/

Namba, R. (2024, April 18).  The Pomodoro technique: study more efficiently, take more breaks - Learning Commons . Learning Commons. https://learningcommons.ubc.ca/the-pomodoro-technique-study-more-efficiently-take-more-breaks/

Oliveira, A., Spinola, V., Garrido, D., Teixeira, M. M., Salles, C., & Haddad, A. E. (2023). Influence of learning styles on student performance in self-instructional courses.  PloS One ,  18 (7), e0289036. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0289036

Sörqvist, P., & Marsh, J. E. (2015). How concentration shields against distraction.  Current Directions in Psychological Science ,  24 (4), 267–272. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721415577356

Sutton, J., PhD. (2024, May 23).  Victor Vroom’s Expectancy Theory of Motivation . PositivePsychology.com. https://positivepsychology.com/expectancy-theory/

UNC-Chapel Hill Learning Center. (2024, February 19).  Distractions – Learning Center . Learning Center. https://learningcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/take-charge-of-distractions/

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7 Tips for Becoming More Mentally Focused

Staying on task can be difficult, but it can be particularly challenging when you are surrounded by constant distractions. In today's always-connected world, diversions are nothing more than a click away, which makes it that much more difficult to figure out how to focus.

Even during quiet moments, distraction is literally at your fingertips as you find yourself checking your social media notifications or the latest news updates.

But being mentally focused is essential for success. The ability to concentrate on something in your environment and direct mental effort toward it is critical for learning new things, achieving goals , and performing well across a wide variety of situations.

Whether you are trying to finish a report at work or competing in a marathon, your ability to focus can mean the difference between success and failure.

Fortunately, focus is a lot like a mental muscle. The more you work on building it up, the stronger it gets.

Becoming more mentally focused is achievable, but that doesn't mean that it's always quick and easy. If it was simple, then we would all have the razor-sharp concentration of an elite athlete.

It will take some real effort on your part and you may have to make some changes to some of your daily habits. Here are some tips and tricks from psychology that can help you learn how to focus and develop laser-like mental concentration.

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Hosted by therapist Amy Morin, LCSW, this episode of The Verywell Mind Podcast shares how to stay motivated and focused even when you don't want to. Click below to listen now.

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Evaluate How Mentally Focused You Are

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Before you start working toward learning how to focus, you might want to begin by assessing just how strong your mental focus is at the present moment.

You find it easy to stay alert

You set goals and break tasks up into smaller parts

You take short breaks, then get back to work

You daydream regularly

You can't tune out distractions

You lose track of your progress

If the first set of statements seems more your style, then you probably already have fairly good concentration skills, but you could be even stronger with a little practice.

If you identify more with the second set of statements, then you probably need to work on your mental focus quite a bit. It might take some time, but practicing some good habits and being mindful of your distractibility can help.

Eliminate Distractions

While it may sound obvious, people often underestimate just how many distractions prevent them from concentrating on the task at hand. Such intrusions might come in the form of a radio blaring in the background or perhaps an obnoxious co-worker who constantly drops by your cubicle to chat.

Minimizing these sources of distraction isn't always as easy as it sounds. While it might be as simple as turning off the television or radio, you might find it much more challenging to deal with an interrupting co-worker, spouse, child, or roommate.

One way to deal with this is to set aside a specific time and place and request to be left alone for that period of time. Another alternative is to seek out a calm location where you know you will be able to work undisturbed. The library, a private room in your house, or even a quiet coffee shop might all be good spots to try.

Not all distractions come from outside sources. Exhaustion, worry , anxiety, poor motivation, and other internal disturbances can be particularly difficult to avoid.

A few strategies you might want to try to minimize or eliminate such internal distractions are to make sure you are well-rested prior to the task and to use positive thoughts and imagery to fight off anxiety and worry. If you find your mind wandering toward distracting thoughts, consciously bring your focus back to the task at hand.

Limit Your Focus

While multitasking may seem like a great way to get a lot done quickly, it turns out that people are actually rather bad at it. Juggling multiple tasks at once can dramatically cut down on productivity and makes it much harder to hone in on the details that are truly important.

Attentional resources are limited so it is important to budget them wisely.

Think of your attention as a spotlight. If you shine that spotlight on one particular area, you can see things very clearly. If you were to try to spread that same amount of light across a large dark room, you might instead only glimpse the shadowy outlines.

Mindful Moment

Need a breather? Take this free 10-minute meditation focused on finding clarity —or choose from our guided meditation library to find another one that will help you feel your best.

Part of knowing how to focus is making the most of the resources you have available. Stop multitasking and instead give your full attention to one thing at a time.

Live in the Moment

It's tough to stay mentally focused when you are ruminating about the past, worrying about the future, or tuned out of the present moment for some other reason.

You have probably heard people talk about the importance of " being present ." It's all about putting away distractions, whether they are physical (your mobile phone) or psychological (your anxieties) and being fully mentally engaged in the current moment.

This notion of being present is also essential for recapturing your mental focus. Staying engaged in the here and now keeps your attention sharp and your mental resources honed in on the details that really matter at a specific point in time.

It may take some time but work on learning to truly live in the moment. You cannot change the past and the future has not happened yet, but what you do today can help you avoid repeating past mistakes and pave a path for a more successful future.

Practice Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a hot topic right now, and for good reason. Despite the fact that people have practiced forms of mindfulness meditation for thousands of years, its many health benefits are only recently starting to be understood.

In one study, researchers had human resources professionals engage in simulations of the sort of complex multitasking they engaged in each day at work.  

These tasks had to be completed in 20 minutes and included answering phones, scheduling meetings, and writing memos with sources of information pouring in from multiple sources including by phone calls, emails, and text messages.

Some of the participants received 8 weeks of training in the use of mindfulness meditation , and the results found that only those who had received this training showed improvement in concentration and focus.

Members of the meditation group were able to stay on task longer, switched between tasks less frequently, and performed the work more efficiently than the other groups of participants.

Practicing mindfulness can involve learning how to meditate, but it can also be as simple as trying a quick and easy deep breathing exercise .

Quick Tip to Regain Focus

Start by taking several deep breaths while really focusing on each and every breath. When you feel your mind naturally begin to wander, gently and uncritically guide your focus back to your deep breathing.

While this might seem like a deceptively simple task, you may find that it is actually much more difficult than it appears. Fortunately, this breathing activity is something you can do anywhere and anytime. Eventually, you will probably find that it becomes easier to disengage from intrusive thoughts and return your focus to where it belongs.

Take a Short Break

Caiaimage / Paul Viant / Getty Images

Have you ever tried to stay mentally focused on the same thing for a long period of time? After a while, your focus starts to break down and it becomes more and more difficult to devote your mental resources to the task. Not only that, but your performance ultimately suffers as a result.

Traditional explanations in psychology have suggested that this is due to attentional resources being depleted, but some researchers believe that it has more to do with the brain's tendency to ignore sources of constant stimulation.

Researchers have found that even taking very brief breaks by shifting your attention elsewhere can dramatically improve mental focus.  

So the next time you are working on a prolonged task, such as preparing your taxes or studying for an exam, be sure to give yourself an occasional mental break.

Shift your attention to something unrelated to the task at hand, even if it is only for a few moments. These short moments of respite might mean that you are able to keep your mental focus sharp and your performance high when you really need it.

Keep Practicing

Building your mental focus is not something that will happen overnight. Even professional athletes require plenty of time and practice in order to strengthen their concentration skills.

One of the first steps is to recognize the impact that being distracted is having on your life. If you are struggling to accomplish your goals and find yourself getting sidetracked by unimportant details, it is time to start placing a higher value on your time .

By building your mental focus, you will find that you are able to accomplish more and concentrate on the things in life that truly bring you success, joy, and satisfaction.

Frequently Asked Questions

Mental focus refers to your ability to concentrate on relevant information in your environment. This ability allows you to attend to things that require attention, complete tasks that you need to accomplish, and acquire new information.

While every person differs, the following strategies can help you stay mentally focused: 

• Get enough sleep each night
• Reduce the distractions in your environment
• Focus on one task at a time
• Try to be more present in the moment
• Practice mindfulness
• Give yourself short breaks to clear your mind
• Limit your social media use
• Utilize effective time management strategies, such as the Pomodoro technique

In order to focus, the brain needs to filter out irrelevant information to concentrate on what really matters. Different types of attention can affect your ability to focus. Selective attention , for example, acts like a spotlight to highlight specific stimuli in your environment. Sustained attention, on the other hand, allows you to stay mentally focused on something for an extended period of time.

Strategies that can help you boost your concentration and focus over time include:

• Brain training and brain games
• Regular exercise
• Spending time in nature
• Eating a balanced diet
• Taking supplements to boost brain health
• Improving your sleep

Levy D, Wobbrock J, Kaszniak A, Ostergren M. The effects of mindfulness meditation training on multitasking in a high-stress information environment . Proceedings - Graphics Interface . 2012;45-52. 

Ariga A, & Lleras A. Brief and rare mental breaks keep you focused: Deactivation and reactivation of task goals preempt vigilance decrements . Cognition . 2011;118(3):439-443. doi:10.1016/j.cognition.2010.12.007

Ariga, A, & Lleras, A. Brief and rare mental breaks keep you focused: Deactivation and reactivation of task goals preempt vigilance decrements. Cognition. 2011;118(3):439-443. doi: 10.1016/j.cognition.2010.12.007.

By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

A Clear Mindset for Clear Assignments: How to Focus on Homework

Discover the secrets on how to focus on homework by beating social media temptation and sidestepping distractions like a pro.

August 4, 2023

When it comes to completing homework assignments, maintaining focus can be a daunting task. The allure of social media, the temptation to procrastinate, and the constant barrage of distractions can make it challenging to stay on track.

However, with a clear mindset and effective strategies, you can overcome these obstacles and make the most of your study time.

In this blog post, we will explore various techniques on how to focus on homework and achieve your academic goals.

Before we dive into the strategies, let's first understand why focusing on homework is crucial and explore some common distractions that students face.

The Benefits of Concentrating on Homework Assignments

Homework serves as a vital extension of classroom learning. It allows you to reinforce concepts, develop critical thinking skills, and deepen your understanding of the subject matter. By focusing on your assignments, you not only complete them efficiently but also gain valuable knowledge and skills. Additionally, effective time management and concentration during homework time can lead to better grades and improved overall academic performance.

Common Distractions That Students Face While Doing Homework

In today's digital age, distractions lurk around every corner, vying for our attention. When it comes to homework, these distractions can significantly hamper your ability to concentrate. Social media notifications, incoming messages, the appeal of video streaming platforms, and the endless rabbit holes of the internet can divert your attention and derail your productivity.

Now that we understand the importance of maintaining focus during homework, let's explore some strategies to help you prepare for productive study sessions .

Preparing for Homework

Creating a Study Environment

Creating an ideal study environment plays a crucial role in fostering concentration and productivity. Find a quiet and well-lit area where you can focus without interruptions. Clear your study area of any unnecessary clutter and ensure you have all the materials you need readily available. A clean and organized environment can contribute to a clear mindset and facilitate efficient studying.

Organizing Study Space

Having an organized study space can have a significant impact on your ability to concentrate. Keep your study materials neatly arranged and easily accessible. Use folders, binders, or digital tools to organize your notes, textbooks, and assignments. When everything is in its place, you can quickly locate what you need, minimizing time wasted searching for materials.

Minimizing Distractions

Distractions are the arch-nemesis of focus. To minimize their impact, it's important to identify and mitigate potential distractions in your study environment. Consider silencing your phone or using a dedicated app like Opal, the #1 screen time management app, to manage and monitor your device usage. Opal's innovative features can help you regain control over your screen time and stay on track with your assignments.

Now that your study space is optimized and distractions are minimized with a few easy changes, let's explore techniques to help you stay focused during your homework sessions.

Using the Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro Technique is a time management method that can enhance your productivity and maintain focus. It involves breaking your study time into intervals, usually, 25 minutes in length, called "Pomodoros." After each Pomodoro, take a short break of 5 minutes. Every four Pomodoros, take a longer break of 15-30 minutes. This technique allows you to work in short bursts, preventing burnout and keeping your mind fresh.

Setting Goals and Prioritizing Tasks

Setting clear goals and prioritizing tasks can provide a sense of direction and purpose to your homework sessions. Understand the importance of setting goals and identify the most important tasks that need your immediate attention.

Create a to-do list with specific and achievable goals, ensuring that you tackle the most crucial assignments first such as Math homework. This approach helps you stay motivated and focused, as you can track your progress and experience the satisfaction of crossing off one task at a time.

Eliminating Procrastination

Procrastination is the enemy of productivity , and we have all fallen victim to its draw at some point. Understanding procrastination and identifying your triggers can help you combat this productivity killer.

Procrastination often arises from feelings of overwhelm, fear of failure, or a lack of interest in the task at hand. Recognize these triggers and develop strategies to overcome them. Break your assignments into smaller, manageable tasks, and reward yourself for completing each one. By taking small steps and staying motivated, you can conquer procrastination and maintain focus.

Staying Focused During Homework

Now that you've laid the groundwork for productive study sessions, let's explore techniques to help you maintain focus while doing homework.

Active Reading Techniques

Active reading techniques can significantly enhance comprehension and focus during your study sessions. Skimming and scanning techniques allow you to quickly gather information from texts, identify key points, and gain an overview of the material. Note-taking enables you to engage with the content actively, aiding memory retention and comprehension. Annotating your textbooks or reading materials with highlights and marginal notes can also help you stay engaged and focused.

Time Management Techniques

Effective time management is a cornerstone of focused sessions and helps complete your homework quicker. Prioritization is key to ensuring you allocate your time wisely. Identify the most important tasks and allocate sufficient time for each. Avoid the temptation to multitask, as it often leads to mind wandering, reduced focus, and diminished productivity. Instead, consider using time-blocking techniques, where you allocate specific time slots for different tasks. This approach helps you maintain focus on one assignment at a time, maximizing your efficiency.

Utilizing Technology

While technology can be a source of distraction, it can also serve as a valuable tool for maintaining focus. Various apps and tools are designed specifically to help students stay on track with their assignments. Apps for focusing, such as Opal or Screen Time , can provide valuable support by managing screen time, blocking distracting websites, and creating a distraction-free mode. By leveraging these technologies wisely, you can harness their power to enhance your focus and productivity.

Maintaining Focus

Staying focused for extended periods can be challenging, so it's essential to incorporate breaks and mindfulness techniques into your study routine.

Taking Breaks

Breaks are not a sign of laziness; they are a necessary component of maintaining focus and preventing mental fatigue. Understand the importance of breaks in maintaining productivity and take effective breaks that rejuvenate your mind. Step away from your study space, engage in physical activity, eat a few healthy snacks, get some fresh air, or indulge in a hobby you enjoy. Use these breaks wisely to recharge and return to your assignments with renewed focus.

Mindfulness Techniques

Mindfulness is a practice that cultivates present-moment awareness and helps you stay engaged with your tasks. Incorporate mindfulness techniques into your study sessions to improve concentration and reduce distractions. Practice deep breathing exercises, listen to classical music, focus on the sensations of studying, and cultivate an attitude of curiosity and non-judgment. By embracing mindfulness, you can bring clarity and intention to your homework sessions.

Managing Stress and Anxiety

Stress and anxiety can significantly hamper your ability to concentrate and perform well academically. Understand the impact of stress and anxiety on your focus and implement strategies to manage them effectively. Identify stressors and triggers, and develop healthy coping mechanisms.

Meditation and breathing exercises can help calm your mind and alleviate anxiety. Taking care of your overall well-being through exercise, adequate sleep and a balanced diet also contributes to reduced stress levels and improved focus.

Staying on Track

While the strategies mentioned above can significantly enhance your ability to focus, there may be times when you require additional support or motivation.

Seeking Help

Recognize when you need help and don't hesitate to reach out to others. Other students, teachers, or family member can provide valuable guidance and support. Collaborating with classmates through study groups or seeking clarification from your instructors can help you overcome challenges and maintain focus. Remember, seeking help is a sign of strength, not weakness.

Seeking help not only benefits your focus but can also be a gateway to a supportive community. One such community that shares your vision for focused productivity is the Opal community.

By joining the Opal community, you gain access to a network of like-minded individuals who are striving for productivity and focus. You can connect with peers who understand the challenges of maintaining concentration and share valuable insights and strategies. Through the Opal platform, you can engage in discussions, exchange tips, and tricks, and find inspiration from others on the same journey.

Rewarding Yourself

Rewarding yourself for your hard work and accomplishments can serve as a powerful motivator. Celebrate your achievements, no matter how small, and choose appropriate rewards that align with your interests and values. Whether it's indulging in a favorite treat, enjoying leisure time, or engaging in a hobby, these rewards reinforce positive habits and create a sense of satisfaction.

Staying Motivated

Motivation is the driving force behind focused and successful homework sessions. Understand what motivates you and tap into those sources of inspiration. Set long-term goals and break them down into smaller milestones. Celebrate each milestone as you achieve it, and use these accomplishments as fuel to keep you moving forward. Stay positive, maintain a growth mindset, and remind yourself of the bigger picture.

Final Thoughts

Maintaining focus while doing homework is a skill that can be developed with practice and a clear mindset. By creating a study environment conducive to concentration, utilizing effective time management techniques, incorporating breaks and mindfulness, and seeking appropriate support, you can enhance your ability to focus and achieve academic success.

Remember, staying focused is not about eliminating all distractions but rather managing them effectively. So, apply these strategies consistently, harness the power of technology tools like Opal, and make the most of your study time. With a clear mindset and focused approach, you can conquer your assignments and pave the way for a successful academic journey.

To make the most out of every day, learn more about how Opal can be your reliable companion in managing screen time and optimizing your focus during homework and beyond.

Now, armed with these strategies, go forth and conquer your assignments with a clear mind and unwavering focus!

Learn More About Opal Today!

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Lesson Plan: How to Improve Your Focus

If you struggle to sit through a class or complete a homework assignment without wanting to check your phone every few minutes, this lesson can help.

By Natalie Proulx

Lesson Overview

Featured Article: “ How to Focus Like It’s 1990 ” by Dana G. Smith

Do you get distracted easily? When you have a homework assignment to complete, a book to read, an instrument to practice or a room to clean, is it easy for you to stay focused and do it, or does your mind drift and wander? Do you quickly begin to daydream, check your social media feed or think about what you want to eat? Are you distracted by constant dings and pings from your phone? In short, do you find yourself thinking about everything but the task at hand?

If you answered yes, you’re not alone. As Dana G. Smith writes in today’s featured article, “Smartphones, pings and Insta-everything have shortened our attention spans.” In this lesson, you’ll learn how to get some old-school concentration back with tips from experts.

The article you are about to read refers to a 2004 study which found that people averaged two and a half minutes on any given task before switching to something else. By 2012, the average time had dropped to 75 seconds. Now, we spend about 47 seconds on a task, on average.

Discuss with a partner: Do these findings surprise you? Or do they resonate with your experience of trying to concentrate? What do you think could explain the shortening of our attention spans?

How long do you think you can focus on something before you get distracted? Test it out: Grab a stopwatch and start reading the featured article . How long can you read before your mind starts to wander, you get interrupted by a ding on your phone or your brain simply needs a break? Can you beat 47 seconds? If you could, how easy or difficult was that experience for you? What ultimately broke your concentration? Share what you noticed with your partner.

Do you think you need to work on improving your concentration? If you were to try this again, what tips or tricks might you use to help stay focused?

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How to Stay Focused on Studying, Backed by Research

[Updated February 23, 2024]

Studying is tough. Whether you’re a veteran student getting a Ph.D. or someone starting high school, figuring out how to stay focused while studying is a challenge that we all face. Whether your biggest challenge is social media, procrastination, time management , or a combination of all three, we’ve got a variety of tools and techniques that can help minimize the stress of studying and keep you focused on what matters.

And if you’re like most of us – this school year is presenting challenges we’ve never faced before. Learning remotely and losing the motivation and pressure that comes with in-person learning and contact has left many of us fighting off the internet like never before. So let’s dig in!

How to stay focused while studying, a guide:

1. find a suitable environment..

Location, location, location. Finding where you work best is an essential part of any successful studying session. For some, the quiet of a library is essential, but for others, the light bustle of a coffee shop can be just the right amount of background noise to stay focused. But whatever your background noise preference, it’s important that your study spot has a few things –

• Flat, clear, surface with enough space to comfortably hold all your materials and laptop
• Outlets – if you need your computer to study, ensuring you have a close power supply can prevent the need to get up and break your flow
• Need some help making sure you have the right set-up? Check out Yale’s recommendations for creating an ergonomic workstation here .
• No access to coffee shops and libraries? Find a space at home that you can make your own office. Clear away clutter and make sure all your most-used tools are organized and within reach. 
• Noisy roommates or neighborhood construction distracting you? Try listening to music with headphones – noise-cancelling work really well if they are available to you. Or keep reading to learn more about how a tool called Krisp might help.
• Is it too quiet at home? Miss the hustle and bustle of coffee shops? Freedom now offers coffee shop sounds from cities around the globe. We’ve also recently added a few office and nature soundscapes to help keep you in the zone.

2. Create a study ritual.

When it comes to staying focused while studying, it’s important to create a routine to help you find your flow and focus. A good place to start is having a pre -study ritual that involves things like clearing your desk, closing your door, grabbing all the materials you’ll need, putting on some headphones, and creating a to-do list. Taking five minutes to set up your workspace will not only physically prepare you to study, but also help train your brain to transition into a state of focus more effortlessly. With the space around you clear of distractions, your mind is free to focus on what is most important. Need some help structuring your ritual or routine? Check out how a morning routine checklist might help.

Is your work-from-home routine becoming a drag? Try switching it up. Start your mornings with a walk or just going outside for some fresh air and a glass of water – anything to help get your blood pumping and to let out any restless energy. Make your mornings or study sessions more enjoyable by adding activities you enjoy – journaling, dancing, lighting a candle, stretching, listening to a podcast. Regardless of the activity the key is to do it every time you need to study so your brain can more easily transition into focus mode. 

3. Block distracting websites + apps on your phone, tablet, and computer.

If you’re like most of us, distracting websites and apps can be the death of any productive , focused studying session. You sit down to study and before you can even begin, you get a notification or a headline catches your eye. Seemingly small distractions like these quickly steal minutes and then hours. On average, it takes 23 minutes to refocus on your work once interrupted.

Luckily, using a site blocker like Freedom can make all the difference. Freedom allows you to temporarily block distracting sites and apps across your Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, Chromebook, and Linux devices. Select what sites or apps you want to block while studying, choose your devices, select for how long, and voila – all your worst distractions are blocked. With Freedom, you can even schedule recurring blocks that align with your scheduled study sessions to help make focusing a habit.

Freedom has a particularly useful feature for studying called Website Exceptions. This feature in our Mac and Windows apps allows you to block everything except the websites you need for studying, like your school portal, online learning platform, Google docs – whatever you choose to add to the exceptions list. Learn more about Freedom’s Website Exceptions here:

4. Divide up + space out study sessions.

When studying for an exam, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information to learn. Most of the stress associated with studying is a result of poor planning and time management that leads to stressful cramming the night before.

Research has shown that dividing your studying into multiple, spaced out sessions greatly improves retention over time. So although cramming could work for the test the next day, the information is a lot more likely to be forgotten immediately after. It’s also a lot easier to maintain focus for 30 minutes at a time, rather than for an eight-hour cramming session.

5. Use the Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro Technique is perfect for splitting your study sessions into manageable chunks of time. It’s simple – select one task to work on, set a timer, work until it rings, and then take a break.

Only you can decide what time range works best for you, but generally the Pomodoro Technique requires you to work for 25 minutes on a singular task, completely uninterrupted. Once the timer rings, take three- to five-minute break. Then, complete the cycle three more times before taking a 25-30 minute break. This helps prevent burnout and keeps you focused, motivated, and on-task.

*Pro tip: You can use Freedom to help block distractions during your 25-minute intervals so that you won’t be tempted to exit your pomodoro session for Facebook or email before it’s ended.

6. Find the best tools

When it comes to taking your studying to the next level, having the right tools can make all the difference. Whether you need help organizing, prioritizing , or focusing – there are tools that can help ease some of the pain points.

• Todoist – Todoist is a task management app and to-do list that allows you to simplify your goals, tasks, and projects into actionable lists. One of Todoist’s coolest features is its ability to make your daily to-do list for you with its intelligent scheduling. For example, if you have an assignment due every week on Friday. You can schedule a recurring task or reminder – e.g. ‘Submit Assignment every Thursday .With Todoist, you can easily break down projects into manageable tasks, share and collaborate on lists with others, and visualize your progress and productivity.
• Schooltraq – Schooltraq is an online academic planner for students. Schooltraq allows you to sort, organize, and plan all your homework and assignments and access them wherever you are, across all your devices.
• Trello – Trello is an online organizational tool for task and project management . Based on the Kaban system, Trello allows you to visually break down large assignments into manageable tasks. Organize your tasks into lists or categories, assign due dates and members, and visualize your progress as you go.

• Freedom Focus Sounds – Freedom now offers Focus music, café sounds from cities around the globe, including Berlin, New York, Stockholm, and London, as well as office and nature soundscapes. They’re all available for free in the Freedom iOS or Android apps, and on your Freedom dashboard
• Pause and Limit – if you need a little help avoiding the pull of distracting sites, check out our free extensions Pause and Limit. Pause gives you a set amount of time before a site opens, so you have a chance to think about whether now is really the time, or if you’d rather stay on track with whatever you’re doing. Limit allows you to set daily limits on how much time you spend on websites that you select. Both are proven and effective tools for breaking the habit of compulsive distraction.
• Brain.fm – Brain.fm is an online tool and app that uses music’s ability to influence your mental state. Backed by research, Brain.fm’s AI music composer uses auditory stimuli that have been proven to help you focus, meditate and sleep.
• Focus – we created this free browser extension to block all the websites that distract you, while still allowing you access to those sites you need for school or work. Here’s a brief video about Focus and how it works:

• Streaks  – Streaks is an app that helps you form good habits by making sure you work on the things you want to improve every day. Every day you complete the task, your streak is extended. You can also easily track your statistics and progress to help you stay motivated. 
• Coach.me – Do you struggle to reach goals you set for yourself? Coach.me could be just what you need. Coach.me is an app that offers goal and habit tracking, but also the ability to hire one of their world-class coaches and connect with a community that is also trying to motivate themselves and achieve. 
• Habitica – Habitica is a free habit building productivity app that turns real life into a game. With in-game rewards and punishments and a social community to support you, Habitica helps you reach your goals and visualize your success.
• Insight by Freedom – Want help improving your digital habits? Try our free extension – Insight to learn more about how you’re spending your time online. 

• Krisp.ai – Even at home, our environments can be noisy and distracting. Krisp is here to help improve the quality of your calls by muting background noise in any communication app. Whether it’s your dog or your classmate’s dog that can’t seem to stop barking at the mailman, Krisp turns off all the noise with a single button. 
• Zoom –  By now I’m sure you’re more than familiar with Zoom, but now more than ever we need effective communication tools both for work and play. If you’re missing group studying or feel like you could use some help with accountability – ask a friend to a study session over Zoom. No need to talk – but just having someone virtually sitting across from you can help. 
• Mural – Somehow brainstorming and collaborating over a video call just doesn’t feel quite the same as a good old whiteboard or sticky note session. Luckily, that’s where Mural comes in. Mural is the digital collaborative workspace you’ve been looking for – need to sketch, sticky, plan, or brainstorm. Mural allows you to do this digitally with a team in real time. 
• Loom – Experiencing Zoom fatigue? Loom can help. Loom allows you to comment or say what you need to via video but with the convenience of a chat messenger. Remotely communicate effectively while also ensuring that you don’t spend your whole day in meetings with Loom.

7. Focus on skills, not grades.

Academic expert, Daniel Wong , says that one of the most common mistakes he sees students make is to focus on grades more than skills and learning. It’s easy to get caught up in a chasing a grade, but at the end of the day the purpose of education is about equipping students with the skills and knowledge to contribute more effectively in the real world. Remembering to focus on the learning rather than a grade can help reduce some of the distracting stress and pressure surrounding studying.

8. Schedule downtime.

No matter how much you have to study, it’s important to that you schedule downtime into your study sessions. Self-control and mental energy are finite resources that will finally run out as the day goes on. It’s important to schedule small breaks to check Facebook, look up a question that was off-topic, or grab some coffee to prevent burnout and keep you focused for longer. Also, having a small reward to look forward to at the end of each session can help you stay motivated.

 9. Exercise.

Studies have shown that regular exercise benefits not only your body, but also your brain. Research suggests that in the short-term exercise can improve your focus for up to two to three hours by increasing blood flow to the brain. Regular exercise has also been shown to improve mood and sleep , while reducing stress and anxiety – all of which can impair cognitive function. In the long term, exercise has even been shown to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s and slow the process of brain aging.

To start experiencing the benefits of exercise, researchers recommend 30 minutes of moderate activity on most days of the week or 150 minutes total.

10. Write weekly, monthly, yearly reviews + adapt.

Management thinker Peter Drucker is often quoted “you can’t manage what you can’t measure.”  Essentially, he’s saying you can’t improve something without tracking and measuring your success.

Taking five minutes at the end of every week, (month or year,) to review your habits, routines, and progress can help you spot patterns in your workflow and gives you a chance to spot inefficiencies, adapt your habits, and optimize your workflow.

Ultimately, there’s no quick, one-size-fits-all solution to staying focused while studying. Different methods and tools will work better for some than others. However, with a little trial and error and the tools and techniques above, you can create a routine of focused studying that works best for you.

Do you use a method or tool that wasn’t mentioned above? We’d love to hear them – tweet them at us @freedom

PRO TIP: If you need help creating better browsing habits while studying – try our FREE extensions Pause, Limit, and, Insight.

Pauses is a Chrome extension that challenges you to pause briefly before visiting a distracting site – breaking the cycle of mindless browsing. Learn more here .

Limit is a Chrome extension that helps you set limits on distracting sites. When your limit is up you’ll be blocked from the site with Freedom’s Green Screen. Learn more here .

Insight is a Chrome extension that helps you understand how you spend your time online. Learn more here .

[Updated February 23, 2024] Studying is tough. Whether you’re a veteran student getting a Ph.D. or someone starting high school, figuring out how to stay focused while studying is a challenge that we all face. […]

About Alexandra Dempsey

Alexandra Dempsey is the Digital Marketing and Strategy Manager at Freedom.

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How to Stay on Top of Assignments: Tips and Strategies

Jack Wright

Staying on top of your assignments can be a challenge. It requires organization, discipline, and time management skills. Fortunately, there are a number of strategies you can use to stay organized and on top of your tasks. Read on to learn more about how to stay on top of assignments.

Breaking Down Assignments into Manageable Tasks

The first step in staying on top of assignments is breaking them down into smaller, more manageable tasks. This will help you break large tasks down into smaller chunks that are easier to tackle. It will also help you keep track of what needs to be done and when. You can use a task list to keep track of the different components of each assignment and make sure you stay on track.

When breaking down assignments into smaller tasks, it is important to prioritize the tasks. Start with the most important tasks first and work your way down the list. This will help you stay focused and ensure that you are completing the most important tasks first. Additionally, it is important to set realistic deadlines for each task. This will help you stay on track and ensure that you are completing the assignment on time.

Prioritizing Your Assignments

Once you’ve broken down your assignments into more manageable tasks, it’s important to prioritize them. This will help you determine which tasks are most important and need to be done first. You can prioritize tasks based on importance, urgency, due date, or any other criteria you deem necessary. Make sure to take into account any deadlines or other time constraints when ordering tasks. This will help you stay on top of when assignments are due and which tasks should be completed first.

When prioritizing your tasks, it’s important to be realistic about how much time you have to complete them. If you have a lot of tasks that need to be done in a short amount of time, it’s important to prioritize the most important tasks first. This will help you ensure that you are able to complete the most important tasks before the deadline. Additionally, it’s important to take breaks in between tasks to help you stay focused and motivated. Taking breaks will help you stay productive and on track with your assignments.

Setting Deadlines and Sticking to Them

An effective way to stay on top of assignments is to set deadlines for yourself and stick to them. This will help ensure that you are meeting your deadlines and completing tasks on time. Setting realistic deadlines is key – if you set unrealistic goals for yourself it can be difficult to stay motivated and make progress. When setting deadlines for yourself, make sure to allow enough time for any unexpected delays or other factors that could affect your progress.

It is also important to break down large tasks into smaller, more manageable chunks. This will help you to stay focused and motivated, as well as make it easier to track your progress. Additionally, it is important to reward yourself for meeting your deadlines. This could be something as simple as taking a break or treating yourself to something special. This will help to reinforce the positive behavior of meeting your deadlines and staying on top of your tasks.

Working Ahead of Schedule

Whenever possible, try to work ahead of schedule. This is a great way to stay ahead of deadlines and make sure you don’t get caught up in last-minute scrambling. Working ahead can also help alleviate the stress that comes with having a lot of assignments due at once. It can also help you manage your time more efficiently, as you can spread out your work over a longer period of time.

Additionally, working ahead of schedule can help you to identify any potential problems or issues with your work before it is due. This can help you to make any necessary changes or adjustments before the deadline, ensuring that you submit the best possible work. Working ahead of schedule can also help you to stay organized and on top of your tasks, allowing you to focus on the quality of your work.

Taking Breaks to Recharge and Refresh

It’s important to take breaks while working on assignments to recharge and refresh. Working too long without taking a break can lead to burnout and fatigue, making it harder to stay focused on your tasks. Taking regular breaks can help boost productivity and focus, as well as helping maintain your motivation levels. Breaks don’t have to be long – even a 10-minute break can be beneficial.

Utilizing Technology to Stay Organized and On Track

There are a number of tools and technologies available that can help you stay organized and on top of your assignments. These include apps like Google Calendar, which allow you to organize your tasks and set reminders for yourself. There are also project management tools such as Trello and Asana, which help you plan out projects and keep track of progress. Utilizing these tools can make it easier to manage your tasks and assignments.

Delegating Tasks When Necessary

When faced with a large number of assignments or tasks, it can be helpful to delegate some of the work. Delegating tasks can help make sure that everything gets done in a timely manner and that no tasks are forgotten or overlooked. It can also help take some of the pressure off of you as you don’t have to do everything yourself. When delegating tasks make sure the person is capable of completing the task in the allotted timeframe.

Getting Help When Needed

If you’re struggling with an assignment or task, don’t be afraid to ask for help. It’s always better to get help sooner rather than later, as this will help ensure that the task gets done correctly and on time. You can seek help from friends, family, teachers, or even online sources like forums and chatrooms. If you’re having trouble with an assignment, don’t hesitate to ask for assistance.

Developing Good Habits for Long-Term Success

Finally, developing good habits is key for long-term success when it comes to staying on top of assignments. This includes things like creating a daily schedule and sticking to it, taking regular breaks, setting realistic deadlines, and asking for help when needed. Developing these habits can make it easier to stay organized and on top of your assignments in the long run.

By following these tips, you can stay organized and on top of your assignments. It takes practice and dedication, but with the right strategies in place, it is possible to stay organized and make progress on your tasks. Staying on top of assignments is a crucial part of academic success – use the strategies outlined here to ensure that you stay on track!

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Daniel Wong

30 Tips to Stop Procrastinating and Find Motivation to Do Homework

Updated on June 6, 2023 By Daniel Wong 44 Comments

To stop procrastinating on homework, you need to find motivation to do the homework in the first place.

But first, you have to overcome feeling too overwhelmed to even start.

You know what it feels like when everything hits you at once, right?

You have three tests to study for and a math assignment due tomorrow.

And you’ve got a history report due the day after.

You tell yourself to get down to work. But with so much to do, you feel overwhelmed.

So you procrastinate.

You check your social media feed, watch a few videos, and get yourself a drink. But you know that none of this is bringing you closer to getting the work done.

Does this sound familiar?

Don’t worry – you are not alone. Procrastination is a problem that everyone faces, but there are ways around it.

By following the tips in this article, you’ll be able to overcome procrastination and consistently find the motivation to do the homework .

So read on to discover 30 powerful tips to help you stop procrastinating on your homework.

Enter your email below to download a PDF summary of this article. The PDF contains all the tips found here, plus  3 exclusive bonus tips that you’ll only find in the PDF.

How to stop procrastinating and motivate yourself to do your homework.

Procrastination when it comes to homework isn’t just an issue of laziness or a lack of motivation .

The following tips will help you to first address the root cause of your procrastination and then implement strategies to keep your motivation levels high.

1. Take a quiz to see how much you procrastinate.

The first step to changing your behavior is to become more self-aware.

How often do you procrastinate? What kinds of tasks do you tend to put off? Is procrastination a small or big problem for you?

To answer these questions, I suggest that you take this online quiz designed by Psychology Today .

2. Figure out why you’re procrastinating.

Procrastination is a complex issue that involves multiple factors.

Stop thinking of excuses for not doing your homework , and figure out what’s keeping you from getting started.

Are you procrastinating because:

• You’re not sure you’ll be able to solve all the homework problems?
• You’re subconsciously rebelling against your teachers or parents?
• You’re not interested in the subject or topic?
• You’re physically or mentally tired?
• You’re waiting for the perfect time to start?
• You don’t know where to start?

Once you’ve identified exactly why you’re procrastinating, you can pick out the tips in this article that will get to the root of the problem.

3. Write down what you’re procrastinating on.

Students tend to procrastinate when they’re feeling stressed and overwhelmed.

But you might be surprised to discover that simply by writing down the specific tasks you’re putting off, the situation will feel more manageable.

It’s a quick solution, and it makes a real difference.

Give it a try and you’ll be less likely to procrastinate.

4. Put your homework on your desk.

Here’s an even simpler idea.

Many times, the hardest part of getting your homework done is getting started.

It doesn’t require a lot of willpower to take out your homework and put it on your desk.

But once it’s sitting there in front of you, you’ll be much closer to actually getting down to work.

5. Break down the task into smaller steps.

This one trick will make any task seem more manageable.

For example, if you have a history report to write, you could break it down into the following steps:

• Read the history textbook
• Do online research
• Organize the information
• Create an outline
• Write the introduction
• Write the body paragraphs
• Write the conclusion
• Edit and proofread the report

Focus on just one step at a time. This way, you won’t need to motivate yourself to write the whole report at one go.

This is an important technique to use if you want to study smart and get more done .

6. Create a detailed timeline with specific deadlines.

As a follow-up to Point #5, you can further combat procrastination by creating a timeline with specific deadlines.

Using the same example above, I’ve added deadlines to each of the steps:

• Jan 30 th : Read the history textbook
• Feb 2 nd : Do online research
• Feb 3 rd : Organize the information
• Feb 5 th : Create an outline
• Feb 8 th : Write the introduction
• Feb 12 th : Write the body paragraphs
• Feb 14 th : Write the conclusion
• Feb 16 th : Edit and proofread the report

Assigning specific dates creates a sense of urgency, which makes it more likely that you’ll keep to the deadlines.

7. Spend time with people who are focused and hardworking.

Jim Rohn famously said that you’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with.

If you hang out with people who are motivated and hardworking, you’ll become more like them.

Likewise, if you hang out with people who continually procrastinate, you’ll become more like them too.

Motivation to do homework naturally increases when you surround yourself with the right people.

So choose your friends wisely. Find homework buddies who will influence you positively to become a straight-A student who leads a balanced life.

That doesn’t mean you can’t have any fun! It just means that you and your friends know when it’s time to get down to work and when it’s time to enjoy yourselves.

8. Tell at least two or three people about the tasks you plan to complete.

When you tell others about the tasks you intend to finish, you’ll be more likely to follow through with your plans.

This is called “accountability,” and it kicks in because you want to be seen as someone who keeps your word.

So if you know about this principle, why not use it to your advantage?

You could even ask a friend to be your accountability buddy. At the beginning of each day, you could text each other what you plan to work on that day.

Then at the end of the day, you could check in with each other to see if things went according to plan.

9. Change your environment .

Maybe it’s your environment that’s making you feel sluggish.

When you’re doing your homework, is your super-comfortable bed just two steps away? Or is your distracting computer within easy reach?

If your environment is part of your procrastination problem, then change it.

Sometimes all you need is a simple change of scenery. Bring your work to the dining room table and get it done there. Or head to a nearby café to complete your report.

10. Talk to people who have overcome their procrastination problem.

If you have friends who consistently win the battle with procrastination, learn from their experience.

What was the turning point for them? What tips and strategies do they use? What keeps them motivated?

Find all this out, and then apply the information to your own situation.

11. Decide on a reward to give yourself after you complete your task.

“Planned” rewards are a great way to motivate yourself to do your homework.

The reward doesn’t have to be something huge.

For instance, you might decide that after you finish 10 questions of your math homework, you get to watch your favorite TV show.

Or you might decide that after reading one chapter of your history textbook, you get to spend 10 minutes on Facebook.

By giving yourself a reward, you’ll feel more motivated to get through the task at hand.

12. Decide on a consequence you’ll impose on yourself if you don’t meet the deadline.

It’s important that you decide on what the consequence will be before you start working toward your goal.

As an example, you could tell your younger brother that you’ll give him $1 for every deadline you don’t meet (see Point #6).

Or you could decide that you’ll delete one game from your phone for every late homework submission.

Those consequences would probably be painful enough to help you get down to work, right?

13. Visualize success.

Take 30 seconds and imagine how you’ll feel when you finish your work.

What positive emotions will you experience?

Will you feel a sense of satisfaction from getting all your work done?

Will you relish the extra time on your hands when you get your homework done fast and ahead of time?

This simple exercise of visualizing success may be enough to inspire you to start doing your assignment.

14. Visualize the process it will take to achieve that success.

Even more important than visualizing the outcome is visualizing the process it will take to achieve that outcome.

Research shows that focusing on the process is critical to success. If you’re procrastinating on a task, take a few moments to think about what you’ll need to do to complete it.

Visualize the following:

• What resources you’ll need
• Who you can turn to for help
• How long the task will take
• Where you’ll work on the task
• The joy you’ll experience as you make progress

This kind of visualization is like practice for your mind.

Once you understand what’s necessary to achieve your goal, you’ll find that it’s much easier to get down to work with real focus. This is key to doing well in school .

15. Write down why you want to complete the task.

You’ll be more motivated when you’re clear about why you want to accomplish something.

To motivate yourself to do your homework, think about all the ways in which it’s a meaningful task.

So take a couple of minutes to write down the reasons. Here are some possible ones:

• Learn useful information
• Master the topic
• Enjoy a sense of accomplishment when you’ve completed the task
• Become a more focused student
• Learn to embrace challenges
• Fulfill your responsibility as a student
• Get a good grade on the assignment

16. Write down the negative feelings you’ll have if you don’t complete the task.

If you don’t complete the assignment, you might feel disappointed or discouraged. You might even feel as if you’ve let your parents or your teacher – or even yourself – down.

It isn’t wise to dwell on these negative emotions for too long. But by imagining how you’ll feel if you don’t finish the task, you’ll realize how important it is that you get to work.

17. Do the hardest task first.

Most students will choose to do the easiest task first, rather than the hardest one. But this approach isn’t effective because it leaves the worst for last.

It’s more difficult to find motivation to do homework in less enjoyable subjects.

As Brian Tracy says , “Eat that frog!” By this, he means that you should always get your most difficult task out of the way at the beginning of the day.

If math is your least favorite subject, force yourself to complete your math homework first.

After doing so, you’ll feel a surge of motivation from knowing it’s finished. And you won’t procrastinate on your other homework because it will seem easier in comparison.

(On a separate note, check out these tips on how to get better at math if you’re struggling.)

18. Set a timer when doing your homework.

I recommend that you use a stopwatch for every homework session. (If you prefer, you could also use this online stopwatch or the Tomato Timer .)

Start the timer at the beginning of the session, and work in 30- to 45-minute blocks.

Using a timer creates a sense of urgency, which will help you fight off your urge to procrastinate.

When you know you only have to work for a short session, it will be easier to find motivation to complete your homework.

Tell yourself that you need to work hard until the timer goes off, and then you can take a break. (And then be sure to take that break!)

19. Eliminate distractions.

Here are some suggestions on how you can do this:

• Delete all the games and social media apps on your phone
• Turn off all notifications on your phone
• Mute your group chats
• Archive your inactive chats
• Turn off your phone, or put it on airplane mode
• Put your phone at least 10 feet away from you
• Turn off the Internet access on your computer
• Use an app like Freedom to restrict your Internet usage
• Put any other distractions (like food, magazines and books unrelated to your homework) at the other end of the room
• Unplug the TV
• Use earplugs if your surroundings are noisy

20. At the start of each day, write down the two to three Most Important Tasks (MITs) you want to accomplish.

This will enable you to prioritize your tasks. As Josh Kaufman explains , a Most Important Task (MIT) is a critical task that will help you to get significant results down the road.

Not all tasks are equally important. That’s why it’s vital that you identify your MITs, so that you can complete those as early in the day as possible.

What do you most need to get done today? That’s an MIT.

Get to work on it, then feel the satisfaction that comes from knowing it’s out of the way.

21. Focus on progress instead of perfection.

Perfectionism can destroy your motivation to do homework and keep you from starting important assignments.

Some students procrastinate because they’re waiting for the perfect time to start.

Others do so because they want to get their homework done perfectly. But they know this isn’t really possible – so they put off even getting started.

What’s the solution?

To focus on progress instead of perfection.

There’s never a perfect time for anything. Nor will you ever be able to complete your homework perfectly. But you can do your best, and that’s enough.

So concentrate on learning and improving, and turn this into a habit that you implement whenever you study .

22. Get organized.

Procrastination is common among students who are disorganized.

When you can’t remember which assignment is due when or which tests you have coming up, you’ll naturally feel confused. You’ll experience school- and test-related stress .

This, in turn, will lead to procrastination.

That’s why it’s crucial that you get organized. Here are some tips for doing this:

• Don’t rely on your memory ; write everything down
• Keep a to-do list
• Use a student planner
• Use a calendar and take note of important dates like exams, project due dates, school holidays , birthdays, and family events
• At the end of each day, plan for the following day
• Use one binder or folder for each subject or course
• Do weekly filing of your loose papers, notes, and old homework
• Throw away all the papers and notes you no longer need

23. Stop saying “I have to” and start saying “I choose to.”

When you say things like “I have to write my essay” or “I have to finish my science assignment,” you’ll probably feel annoyed. You might be tempted to complain about your teachers or your school .

What’s the alternative?

To use the phrase “I choose to.”

The truth is, you don’t “have” to do anything.

You can choose not to write your essay; you’ll just run the risk of failing the class.

You can choose not to do your science assignment; you’ll just need to deal with your angry teacher.

When you say “I choose to do my homework,” you’ll feel empowered. This means you’ll be more motivated to study and to do what you ought to.

24. Clear your desk once a week.

Clutter can be demotivating. It also causes stress , which is often at the root of procrastination.

Hard to believe? Give it a try and see for yourself.

By clearing your desk, you’ll reduce stress and make your workspace more organized.

So set a recurring appointment to organize your workspace once a week for just 10 minutes. You’ll receive huge benefits in the long run!

25. If a task takes two minutes or less to complete, do it now.

This is a principle from David Allen’s bestselling book, Getting Things Done .

You may notice that you tend to procrastinate when many tasks pile up. The way to prevent this from happening is to take care of the small but important tasks as soon as you have time.

Here are some examples of small two-minute tasks that you should do once you have a chance:

• Replying to your project group member’s email
• Picking up anything on the floor that doesn’t belong there
• Asking your parents to sign a consent form
• Filing a graded assignment
• Making a quick phone call
• Writing a checklist
• Sending a text to schedule a meeting
• Making an online purchase that doesn’t require further research

26. Finish one task before starting on the next.

You aren’t being productive when you switch between working on your literature essay, social studies report, and physics problem set – while also intermittently checking your phone.

Research shows that multitasking is less effective than doing one thing at a time. Multitasking may even damage your brain !

When it comes to overcoming procrastination, it’s better to stick with one task all the way through before starting on the next one.

You’ll get a sense of accomplishment when you finish the first assignment, which will give you a boost of inspiration as you move on to the next one.

27. Build your focus gradually.

You can’t win the battle against procrastination overnight; it takes time. This means that you need to build your focus progressively.

If you can only focus for 10 minutes at once, that’s fine. Start with three sessions of 10 minutes a day. After a week, increase it to three sessions of 15 minutes a day, and so on.

As the weeks go by, you’ll become far more focused than when you first started. And you’ll soon see how great that makes you feel.

28. Before you start work, write down three things you’re thankful for.

Gratitude improves your psychological health and increases your mental strength .

These factors are linked to motivation. The more you practice gratitude, the easier it will be to find motivation to do your homework. As such, it’s less likely that you’ll be a serial procrastinator.

Before you get down to work for the day, write down three things you’re thankful for. These could be simple things like good health, fine weather, or a loving family.

You could even do this in a “gratitude journal,” which you can then look back on whenever you need a shot of fresh appreciation for the good things in your life.

Either way, this short exercise will get you in the right mindset to be productive.

29. Get enough sleep.

For most people, this means getting 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night. And teenagers need 8 to 10 hours of sleep a night to function optimally.

What does sleep have to do with procrastination?

More than you might realize.

It’s almost impossible to feel motivated when you’re tired. And when you’re low on energy, your willpower is depleted too.

That’s why you give in to the temptation of Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube videos more easily when you’re sleep-deprived.

Here are ways to get more sleep , and sleep better too:

• Create a bedtime routine
• Go to sleep at around the same time every night
• Set a daily alarm as a reminder to go to bed
• Exercise regularly (but not within a few hours of bedtime)
• Make your bedroom as dark as possible
• Remove or switch off all electronic devices before bedtime
• Avoid caffeine at least six hours before bedtime
• Use an eye mask and earplugs

30. Schedule appointments with yourself to complete your homework.

These appointments are specific blocks of time reserved for working on a report, assignment, or project. Scheduling appointments is effective because it makes the task more “official,” so you’re more likely to keep the appointment.

For example, you could schedule appointments such as:

• Jan 25 th , 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm: Math assignment
• Jan 27 th , 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm: Online research for social studies project
• Jan 28 th , 4:30 pm – 5:00 pm: Write introduction for English essay

Transform homework procrastination into homework motivation

Procrastination is a problem we all face.

But given that you’ve read all the way to here, I know you’re committed to overcoming this problem.

And now that you’re armed with these tips, you have all the tools you need to become more disciplined and focused .

By the way, please don’t feel as if you need to implement all the tips at once, because that would be too overwhelming.

Instead, I recommend that you focus on just a couple of tips a week, and make gradual progress. No rush!

Over time, you’ll realize that your habit of procrastination has been replaced by the habit of getting things done.

Now’s the time to get started on that process of transformation. 🙂

Like this article? Please share it with your friends.

Images: Student and books , Homework , Group of students , Consequences , Why , Writing a list , Organized desk , Gratitude

January 19, 2016 at 11:53 am

Ur tips are rlly helpful. Thnkyou ! 🙂

January 19, 2016 at 1:43 pm

You’re welcome 🙂

August 29, 2018 at 11:21 am

Thanks very much

February 19, 2019 at 1:38 pm

The funny thing is while I was reading the first few steps of this article I was procrastinating on my homework….

November 12, 2019 at 12:44 pm

same here! but now I actually want to get my stuff done… huh

December 4, 2022 at 11:35 pm

May 30, 2023 at 6:26 am

October 25, 2023 at 11:35 am

fr tho i totally was but now I’m actually going to get started haha

June 6, 2020 at 6:04 am

I love your articles

January 21, 2016 at 7:07 pm

Thanks soo much. It’s almost like you could read my mind- when I felt so overwhelmed with the workload heap I had created for myself by procrastination, I know feel very motivated to tackle it out completely and replace that bad habit with the wonderful tips mentioned here! 🙂

January 21, 2016 at 8:04 pm

I’m glad to help 🙂

January 25, 2016 at 3:09 pm

You have shared great tips here. I especially like the point “Write down why you want to complete the task” because it is helpful to make us more motivated when we are clear about our goals

January 25, 2016 at 4:51 pm

Glad that you found the tips useful, John!

January 29, 2016 at 1:22 am

Thank you very much for your wonderful tips!!! ☺☺☺

January 29, 2016 at 10:41 am

It’s my joy to help, Kabir 🙂

February 3, 2016 at 12:57 pm

Always love your articles. Keep them up 🙂

February 3, 2016 at 1:21 pm

Thanks, Matthew 🙂

February 4, 2016 at 1:40 pm

There are quite a lot of things that you need to do in order to come out with flying colors while studying in a university away from your homeland. Procrastinating on homework is one of the major mistakes committed by students and these tips will help you to avoid them all and make yourself more efficient during your student life.

February 4, 2016 at 1:58 pm

Completely agreed, Leong Siew.

October 5, 2018 at 12:52 am

Wow! thank you very much, I love it .

November 2, 2018 at 10:45 am

You are helping me a lot.. thank you very much….😊

November 6, 2018 at 5:19 pm

I’m procrastinating by reading this

November 29, 2018 at 10:21 am

January 8, 2021 at 3:38 am

March 3, 2019 at 9:12 am

Daniel, your amazing information and advice, has been very useful! Please keep up your excellent work!

April 12, 2019 at 11:12 am

We should stop procrastinating.

September 28, 2019 at 5:19 pm

Thank you so much for the tips:) i’ve been procrastinating since i started high schools and my grades were really bad “F” but the tips have made me a straight A student again.

January 23, 2020 at 7:43 pm

Thanks for the tips, Daniel! They’re really useful! 😁

April 10, 2020 at 2:15 pm

I have always stood first in my class. But procrastination has always been a very bad habit of mine which is why I lost marks for late submission .As an excuse for finding motivation for studying I would spend hours on the phone and I would eventually procrastinate. So I tried your tips and tricks today and they really worked.i am so glad and thankful for your help. 🇮🇳Love from India🇮🇳

April 15, 2020 at 11:16 am

Well I’m gonna give this a shot it looks and sounds very helpful thank you guys I really needed this

April 16, 2020 at 9:48 pm

Daniel, your amazing information and advice, has been very useful! keep up your excellent work! May you give more useful content to us.

May 6, 2020 at 5:03 pm

nice article thanks for your sharing.

May 20, 2020 at 4:49 am

Thank you so much this helped me so much but I was wondering about like what if you just like being lazy and stuff and don’t feel like doing anything and you don’t want to tell anyone because you might annoy them and you just don’t want to add your problems and put another burden on theirs

July 12, 2020 at 1:55 am

I’ve read many short procrastination tip articles and always thought they were stupid or overlooking the actual problem. ‘do this and this’ or that and that, and I sit there thinking I CAN’T. This article had some nice original tips that I actually followed and really did make me feel a bit better. Cheers, diving into what will probably be a 3 hour case study.

August 22, 2020 at 10:14 pm

Nicely explain each tips and those are practical thanks for sharing. Dr.Achyut More

November 11, 2020 at 12:34 pm

Thanks a lot! It was very helpful!

November 15, 2020 at 9:11 am

I keep catching myself procrastinating today. I started reading this yesterday, but then I realized I was procrastinating, so I stopped to finish it today. Thank you for all the great tips.

November 30, 2020 at 5:15 pm

Woow this is so great. Thanks so much Daniel

December 3, 2020 at 3:13 am

These tips were very helpful!

December 18, 2020 at 11:54 am

Procrastination is a major problem of mine, and this, this is very helpful. It is very motivational, now I think I can complete my work.

December 28, 2020 at 2:44 pm

Daniel Wong: When you’re doing your homework, is your super-comfortable bed just two steps away? Me: Nope, my super-comfortable bed is one step away. (But I seriously can’t study anywhere else. If I go to the dining table, my mum would be right in front of me talking loudly on the phone with colleagues and other rooms is an absolute no. My mum doesn’t allow me to go outside. Please give me some suggestions. )

September 19, 2022 at 12:14 pm

I would try and find some noise cancelling headphones to play some classical music or get some earbuds to ignore you mum lol

March 1, 2021 at 5:46 pm

Thank you very much. I highly appreciate it.

May 12, 2023 at 3:38 am

This is great advice. My little niece is now six years old and I like to use those nice cheap child friendly workbooks with her. This is done in order to help her to learn things completely on her own. I however prefer to test her on her own knowledge however. After a rather quick demonstration in the lesson I then tend to give her two simple questions to start off with. And it works a treat. Seriously. I love it. She loves it. The exam questions are for her to answer on her own on a notepad. If she can, she will receive a gold medal and a box of sweets. If not she only gets a plastic toy. We do this all the time to help her understand. Once a week we spend up to thirty minutes in a math lesson on this technique for recalling the basic facts. I have had a lot of great success with this new age technique. So I’m going to carry on with it for now.

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10 tips for staying focused when learning from home

By Henry Lang

Just like most of y’all, I’m struggling with remote learning (and having ADHD  doesn’t make things any easier). In college, I’m studying to be an educator, so I thought I’d share some tips for staying focused when learning at home.

1. Make your study space cozy and clean.

Keep your computer screen clean, too. Close any distracting browser tabs. (Check out the free OneTab Chrome App to save those extra tabs for later.)

2. Switch up your study spots.

Your location influences how you process information. Even a slight change can be refreshing. Experiment with matching locations to specific tasks. I like to do math at the kitchen table and watch lectures on the couch.

3. Do a “brain boost” whenever you find yourself drifting.

Take a walk around the block, do some jumping jacks, stretch your limbs, and shake out any muscle tension in ways that feel comfy.

4. Hydrate!

Your body naturally performs better when you’re fully hydrated. Keep a water bottle on your desk. I still forget to pick up the purple plastic bottle sitting right in front of me, so I also stick a Post-it reminder on my notebook and computer screen.

5. Keep lists.

Making to-do lists for school, work, and other goals is a must for me. I’m much less likely to miss pesky homework deadlines when they’re all stored in one place.

6. Play around with sound.

Some of my friends like to listen to classical music while they study. When I’m taking an online quiz, I turn on a fan to cover noise from my neighbors. If you don’t have a fan, search for “ambience sounds” on YouTube.

7. Find a creative outlet.

Whether you’re learning new ukulele chords, doodling in a notebook, or keeping a journal, having an outlet for self-expression matters now more than ever.

8. Learn a new skill to balance your studying.

What’s something you’ve been meaning to learn? Finger spelling, knitting, computer coding, a trending TikTok dance. (I only tripped twice while learning the “Say So” routine!) Pick a new skill that excites you and set reasonable goals to keep up your progress. When you’re finished, try teaching a friend.

9. Stay connected with family and friends. 

Having conversations with loved ones can be refreshing during isolation. Consider reaching out to old friends to catch up, too.

10. Promote community care.

Other people who are struggling right now could use your support. I’ve been volunteering to do maintenance for neighbors who need extra hands. I’m also joining other students in sending emails to advocate for my school’s service workers to be paid.

Responding to my neighbors’ needs reminds me how lucky I am to be a part of my community right now.

Explore related topics

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How To Focus On Homework And Score Top Grades (Really)

The term homework is one that many students would rather not hear mentioned. Furthermore, the subject of homework has sparked such a heated debate among scholars – is it necessary or not? However, this article’s focus is to help students at all levels learn how to stay focused while doing homework.

If homework is not your favorite, do not skip this post. You never know what the end of it holds for you.

What Is Homework?

Although this may be a cliché to many already, it would be prudent to have a working definition to guide this discussion. As the root word suggests, homework is schoolwork done outside school – especially at home. Teachers may assign homework based on:

What the students have learned that day in class What the teacher intents to teach the following day Some of the concepts that brought difficulty to the students

Students are therefore required to carry this assignment at home and complete it on their own. However, as we will see in our discussion, this is not always easy. Most students, whether kindergarten kids, college or university students, have trouble focusing on their homework.

How To Focus On Homework – Why Is It Necessary?

Research has shown that homework plays a critical role in the life of any student. Some of the reasons why homework assignments are necessary to include:

• It helps students understand concepts better.
• Teachers can gauge the understanding of the students
• It keeps students engaged while at home
• Parents can be part of their student’s academic journey through such tasks.

Therefore, all students need to learn how to focus on homework to achieve the above objectives and more. Learning how to stay focused on assignment is necessary in the following manner:

Students will be able to complete assignments on time. When students know how to ward off any homework distractions, they can fully concentrate on their homework and complete it on time. It helps them write correct answers. Students who know how to focus on homework can research well and develop the right solutions for their assignments. They will also be able to avoid minor grammatical and spellings errors in their papers. It makes a complex assignment seem easy! With a total concentration on a particular homework problem, students can easily find answers even to the most challenging issues.

That is why you need to master how to concentrate on h/w. It is a skill that has helped many students finish their assignments and score top-tier grades even at the college level. You are not an exception either! Once you cultivate the skill of how to focus better on homework, the returns will be rewarding.

But why can’t I focus on homework? You may ask.

Can’t Focus On Homework? Here Is Why?

• A long day at school: The long, tiresome school activities can wear you out to the point of failing to focus on your homework. Some may not even want to see their books anywhere close to them.
• Complex assignments: Some of the technical tasks can turn you off completely. For instance, failing to find an answer after four or more attempts can make you lose your concentration.
• Unfinished businesses: In the process of trying to complete your homework, you may remember an errand you were to make. Sometimes, you may have promised to pay a courtesy call to a particular friend. All these will raise a sense of anxiety in you and derail your concentration levels.
• Environmental factors: There are times when the downpour is so heavy that you lose concentration. A stubborn bird that likes to rest next to your window can also be a distraction.
• Emotional disorders: Although many may not know this, emotions and attitudes play a crucial role in concentration. If you are experiencing any form of emotional instability, you may not be able to complete your assignment as planned.
• Noise from around: Your neighbor might decide to show you how loud his home theatre system can go. Your siblings might also distract by noise from their toys or video games. None of these will keep your mind fully on the homework.
• You might be lazy! Please don’t feel like I am too hard on you. Laziness is a common thing that affects everyone – even the president feels sluggish at times! It can distract a student from focusing on the homework and completing it.

All these might distract you to the point of screaming (like I did some time last year). However, there are working tips and advice from expert writers that can help you concentrate on homework. Let’s have a look at them.

What To Do When You Can’t Focus On Homework

Use the following tricks to focus when doing your homework:

• Get some rest after coming home from school: The human mind also gets tired, just like any other body part. Therefore, you can take a shower and a little nap after school before engaging in your homework. A fresh mind is a catalyst to total concentration.
• Have all the materials you need beforehand: It is essential to assemble all the tools necessary for your homework before starting. Collate all the stationery and refreshments you may need in advance. It prevents getting up now and then to get a forgotten ruler or calculator from the other room or classmate next door.
• Choose the best time for completing your homework: Research shows that the mind works best early in the morning. You can decide to rest early and wake up in the morning to complete your assignment. After all, your stubborn siblings and the noisy neighbor will not be awake by this time.
• Have an order of completing your tasks: For instance, math homework can contain both problematic and simple sums. You can alternate these two so that you do not end up tackling five technical aggregates at the same time that will drain you off quickly.
• Get rid of destructions: Things such as music, television, computers, mobile phones, and other electronic gadgets can be a huge distraction. It would be wise of you to put them away when completing your homework not to be distracted. If possible, you can switch them off.
• Complete urgent errands first: Before sitting down to begin your homework, ensure that you have completed every chore you were assigned. It will enable you to focus your mind entirely on your task and not on the incomplete errands you have to go.
• Make a cup of coffee! It can do the magic perfectly well. When you feel like your concentration levels are getting low, especially during the night, you can make one for yourself. It will also keep you from dosing off amid the work.
• Listening to soft, soothing music: Psychologists say that the mind works best when a conducive environment is created. Slow music playing in the background can help maintain your concentration levels during studying. However, loud music is not recommended for such cases.
• Take a glass of water: Long hours of completing assignments can dehydrate your brain. The result of this is loss of concentration. Taking water hydrates it and thus increases brain activity. You will be able to focus on your homework once again as if you just began.
• Keep your mind up and alert: Psychologists have recommended chewing gum as a way of engaging your mind and keeping it active. It will help you maintain focus on your homework to the end.
• Avoid sugary foods: Things like sweets, chocolate, juice, or biscuits are a no-go zone if you wish to focus on your homework. They will only work to reduce your brain activity and make you sleepy.

The tips discussed above are only practical when implemented. Some of them may require you to push yourself to the limit, but they are necessary if you want to score top-notch grades. Remember that practice makes perfect!

How To Do Homework Without Getting Distracted During COVID-19

The coronavirus pandemic struck the whole world with a bang destabilizing almost every system. Education has not been spared either, and students have to adopt new and creative ways of completing homework amid the pandemic.

Here are some expert ideas:

• Limit your exposure to COVID-19 related news: The more you watch the news or read social media posts on coronavirus, the more you get anxious and distracted. Get verifiable facts from the WHO website or trusted government sources. These will reduce panic and give you ample time to complete your homework without losing focus.
• Adhering to the coronavirus prevention protocols: By following the laid down measures, you will not have to start doubting yourself when completing your homework. For instance, if you washed your hands, avoided physical contact, and wore your mask all day while in school, you would not have to fear the risk of exposure to the virus.
• Staying calm and composed: It is essential to focus your mind on the homework rather than the mere gossip you’ve heard all day long concerning the virus. A calm and composed mind will focus on the need of the hour, which is the homework and not any other thing.

Although the virus has ravaged the whole world in diverse ways, remaining optimistic will give you the calm mind necessary for completing your homework.

How To Stop Getting Distracted From Homework In Remote Learning

Most schools have adopted the distance learning approach, and students must complete their homework online. It comes with its fair share of distractions which may hinder effectiveness in the completion of tasks.

However, you can put off homework distractions in remote learning with the following tactics:

• Avoid visiting unnecessary sites: When conducting your research online, refrain from visiting places such as YouTube or Netflix to check the latest music or movies. Doing this will help you focus on the assignment at hand.
• Make sure that your laptop accessories are working: These include the laptop charger, mouse, or keyboard. When all these are in perfect condition, you will complete your homework online with ease.
• Have a stable internet connection: Remote learning depends on internet connectivity, and any interference on this can bring overwhelming frustrations on the part of the student. That is why you have to ensure that you have the proper bandwidth for completing your assignment online.
• Avoid the temptation of browsing outside the homework scope: While online, you might remember a particular fact or feature you wanted to Google during the day. It will only serve to take your focus away from the homework. Stick to your homework scope and do not deviate.
• Avoid social media sites as plague: You might think to yourself, ‘let me see what people are talking about on Twitter for two minutes, then come back to my assignment.’ The two minutes can end up being two hours. Social media sites have a way of attracting you and making your stay there all day long.

With the advancements in technology, computers can now know your preferences and automatically present to you what you like. Clicking on a link or visiting a site that is irrelevant to your homework will distract your attention. If possible, block any ads that may pop up in your remote learning course, as this may make you lose focus.

Final Words On How To Focus On Homework

We have seen the necessity of homework, some of the distractions, and how to handle them. Remember that homework, just like any other assignment in class, requires your maximum attentiveness. In some institutions, task amounts to the final grades, making it necessary to handle it with utmost precision.

Perhaps you have tried any of the expert tips above and still failed to focus; we are here to offer you quality homework assistance. You will find suggestions on how to focus on homework and experts who can help you complete those tedious homework problems.

Are you aspiring to score an A+ with professional writing help? We are here for you! Let us relieve you of that homework burden and give you all the time you need to socialize with your friends.

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8 Effective Tools for Staying Focused and Getting Stuff Done

It can feel harder than ever to stay on task; here's how you can..

Posted August 22, 2020 | Reviewed by Kaja Perina

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What do innumerable Zoom meetings, an unceasingly stressful new cycle, a pandemic, working from home, a steady stream of smartphone alerts, and general uncertainty all have in common?

Each of these strains our ability to feel centered, focus, and get things done.

And if you find it hard to focus even under the best of circumstances (whatever those are), it can feel practically impossible to do so now.

The good news is that even given conditions that are far less than ideal, it is possible to be more focused and get things done .

(Take it from someone who has struggled with attention and focus her entire life!)

And even better news— you don’t need to sustain laser-like focus for hours at a clip in order to get things done.

Of course, the most basic foundation for focusing is to take good care of yourself.

So, do what you already know is important.

Get regular exercise. Exercise has been shown to cause changes in the brain that enhance the ability to focus. And exercise has other cognitive and mental health benefits, as well.

In addition, eat well. Stay hydrated. Practice good stress management . Get a good night’s sleep. Meditate.

And let go of perfect for now (and honestly, just let go of it, period).

What else can you do?

1. Pay attention to your normal escape behaviors—and manage them .

Escape behaviors are those things you do to alleviate the stress or boredom that crops up whenever you have to work on a specific task or assignment.

For many people, the go-to escape behavior may be to snack mindlessly; for others, it will be to become suddenly fatigued, or click on every email alert that pops up.

The key to managing escape behaviors is planning ahead . So, if your escape behavior is to snack, portion out a reasonable amount of a healthy snack and put the box away before sitting down to work. You can eat the snack quickly or slowly but when it’s gone, that’s it. And remember to factor that snack into your day’s meals.

If your escape behavior is to become suddenly sleepy , note this ahead of time. Have water or tea, etc. with you before you sit down to work, or use a standing desk attachment to help prevent feeling sluggish.

And if your escape behavior shows up as checking every email, or surfing the net – see the next tip.

2. Take a Technology Time Out.

Before sitting down to work, silence all non-essential apps, close all programs and windows other than the one you’ll be using, and turn off all phone alerts. Seriously.

Remind yourself that you can look at these things when you’re taking a longer break (see the following tip), but not before.

3. Reward Your Brain with Structured Breaks .

Many people think that in order to be productive, they have to work for several hours straight without stopping. This is neither true nor ideal.

It’s actually easier to stay on task when there is a concrete end or break in sight. Create a realistic schedule of work alternating with breaks.

There’s the popular “Pomodoro Technique,” which is based on 25-minute work sessions followed by 5-minute breaks. For example, someone’s daily goal to work on a specific project might be 3 or 4 pomodoros, followed by a longer break.

Others will work in 30-minute blocks followed by 7-minute breaks, or 48-minute blocks with 12 minutes breaks, etc.

Make sure to stand up and stretch during each break, and stay away from the computer (and even better, away from any sort of screen time ) during the break.

You can use brief breaks to do laundry, prepare food, stretch, and so forth.

After a few of these work/rest cycles, reward yourself with a longer break.

Remember, your brain is much more likely to cooperate with the demands you’re placing on it if you reward it for doing what you ask of it.

4. Make a SMART List...

...of your goals for the next day. Do this at night before you go to bed.

It’s a “smart” list because both the list—and the goals on it—are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-restricted.

Give yourself no more than 5 minutes to jot down your goals. This means that you can’t obsess about them or go down a rabbit hole of looking things up, and so forth.

Remember, at this point, you’re not actually working on the project ; you are basically outlining what you’ll need to do so that you have an easy-to-follow outline ready for when you actually sit down to do the work tomorrow.

Then, for each broad goal, write a bulleted list of the tasks required to complete that goal. Keep the lists short and to the point. If your goal is to work on a presentation for next week, the bullet points might include scheduling a time frame in which you’ll work on this, creating 20 slides, and rehearsing your talk. That’s it.

5. Plan for External Distractions .

For example, we have three dogs, and if they are awake, they are barking—at a squirrel outside, to go for a walk, when they are hungry, and so forth. We've learned that they are less barky during the day if they have a decent morning walk, have eaten well, and have gotten their morning treats (I know...).

The solution is not for these guys to suddenly have no needs whatsoever; it’s for me to anticipate their needs, make sure they are met, and try to create some sort of (imperfect) structure that works both for them and for me.

Planning ahead and being flexible reduces my stress and theirs.

6. Add Binaural Beat Technology to Your Toolbox.

Binaural beat technology (BBT) is a type of brainwave entrainment that uses auditory tones to shift one’s predominant brainwave state into something more appropriate or relevant to the task at hand.

How does BBT work? When tones of different frequencies are played in each ear, the brain will hear the difference between these tones, rather than hearing each one separately.

It is the frequency (in hertz) of this difference that creates a shift in the brain.

Lower frequencies are associated with deep, dreamless sleep (delta), deep meditation or REM sleep (theta), and feeling relaxed, but awake (alpha). Higher frequencies shift the brain into being focused and alert (mid-beta), and having greater cognitive flexibility, creativity , and focus (gamma).

BBT is frequently combined with music, guided imagery, nature sounds, or some combination of these. There are a number of popular apps and audio downloads that feature beta, gamma, or a combination of these frequencies to enhance focus. Listen to BBT using headphones and while working on a task.

7. Release Resistance and Be in the Now.

Surrender to the fact that right now, you probably will not find yourself working in the same way as you did previously.

The interruptions you face now are different from the ones you had a lifetime to become accustomed to. Give yourself time to adjust to new workday interruptions (e.g., the doorbell ringing, kids and pets demanding attention, innumerable video meetings).

8. Do Your Best—and Be Kind to Yourself.

Remember, all anyone can do is their best at any given moment. Human beings are resourceful and adaptable and resilient . It’s how we’ve survived as a species. But adapting to something new is a process.

Understand that it’s normal to feel fatigued, and scattered, and wish things were different right now.

Allow yourself to have these feelings. These emotions are your truth of the moment.

And then breathe, set a timer, and do what you need to do.

Facebook /LinkedIn image: Klever LeveL/Shutterstock

Basso, J. C., & Suzuki, W. A. (2017). The effects of acute exercise on mood, cognition, neurophysiology, and neurochemical pathways: a review. Brain Plasticity, 2(2), 127-152.

Colzato, L. S., Barone, H., Sellaro, R., & Hommel, B. (2017). More attentional focusing through binaural beats: Evidence from the global–local task. Psychological research, 81(1), 271-277.

Reedijk, S. A., Bolders, A., & Hommel, B. (2013). The impact of binaural beats on creativity. Frontiers in human neuroscience, 7, 786.

Vysniauske, R., Verburgh, L., Oosterlaan, J., & Molendijk, M. L. (2020). The effects of physical exercise on functional outcomes in the treatment of ADHD: a meta-analysis. Journal of attention disorders, 24(5), 644-654.

Dr. Traci Stein, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist, certified clinical hypnotherapist, and health educator who integrates complementary/alternative and conventional healing approaches.

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6 simple strategies for improving students’ focus

Feb 19, 2020 | Blog

Do you ever wish you could ignore all of the distractions around you and just focus … but find that, no matter how hard you try to stay on task, you keep getting sidetracked?

If so, then you can relate to what students often experience on a daily basis when they sit down to work on their homework.

Students with ADHD can have an especially difficult time avoiding distractions and staying focused on their work.  However, this problem isn’t limited to students with diagnosed attention difficulties. Many high school and college students struggle with maintaining focus – especially on assignments that require sustained attention, like writing papers or reading textbooks.

A study conducted by psychology professor Dr. Larry Rosen found that when sitting down to study, students generally lost focus after about  3 minutes ! (Rosen et al. 2013) And this was for students who knew they were participating in a study! 

This lack of focus can have major costs for students.

Working while distracted can dramatically increase the amount of time students spend on their homework.  If a student has 2 hours of homework to complete, but only spends 10 out every 15 minutes actively working on his or her assignments (the average from Dr. Rosen’s study), they will need at least 3 hours to complete the same amount of work.  (Again, that’s an  optimistic  estimate!)  All this extra time spent on homework can cause students to stay up late and lose sleep…which makes it even  more  difficult for them to stay focused and avoid distractions the following day.

Frequent distractions also have a quantifiable effect on students’ grades.  Studies have shown that college students who spend more time on Facebook tend to spend less time studying, and have lower GPAs, than their peers.  Sending text messages while studying has also been associated with lower grades in college. (Canales et al, 2009; Karpinski & Duberstein, 2009)

Strategies to help your student get focused

There are many reasons why students can have trouble focusing, including…

• Physical factors  (low energy, dehydration, etc.)
• External distractions  (phone, computer, siblings/parents, etc.)
• Internal distractions  (thoughts, worries, etc.)
• Difficult or confusing task
• Low motivation
• No sense of urgency

Luckily, there also are a number of  quick and simple solutions  that students can use to  reduce  distractions and increase their ability to focus!

Here are some of my favorites…

1. Nourish your body & refresh your brain 

• Try working at a  time of day  when you naturally have more energy. For instance, if you normally do homework later in the evening, try starting it earlier in the afternoon and see how that affects your ability to stay focused and avoid distractions.
• Try  exercising  before you study.  Just 15-20 minutes of aerobic exercise can provide an immediate boost in executive function, which helps students avoid distractions and maintain focus on their work.
• Drink more  water!   Studies have shown that even being slightly dehydrated can have a significant impact on attention and focus.
• If you’re having trouble focusing while you sit, try  standing or walking  while you work. Some students find that they can think and focus more effectively while they’re physically active.
• Take short breaks  after completing each assignment, or after 30-60 minutes of focused work.  Getting up to walk around, refill your water bottle, use the bathroom, pet your dog, etc. can help reset your focus & attention.

2. Eliminate external distractions

• Turn off  or silence your electronic devices.  If you can’t turn them off, put them on silent and turn off all notifications. Block internet access for websites that tend to distract you with one of the great tools designed for this. If you’re writing, try putting Word in  ‘Focus’ view,  or writing within an app.
• For a detailed overview of technology distractions and the best tools you can use to stay focused, sign up at the bottom of this post to receive my  FREE guide on managing teens and technology distractions !
• Try changing your location  to someplace less familiar, where there are fewer potential distractions nearby.  For example – a high school student studying in their room could try working at the dining room table.  A college student could try studying in a coffee shop or library, rather than their dorm.
• If studying in silence is distracting, try listening to  ambient sounds  or music that is designed to help focus & creativity, from sites like  coffitivity.com ,  noisli.com , or  focusatwill.com

3. Minimize internal distractions

• If your mind is racing in 100 different directions as you sit down to work, take a few minutes before you start to  write down everything that’s on your mind  so you can deal with it later, after your work is completed.
• Keep a notepad  (or a text file)  nearby  while you’re working, so you can quickly jot down any ideas that come to mind while working but are NOT related to the task you’re working on. Each time, remind yourself: that’s NOT what I’m doing right now.
• If you’re worried about something, make a  commitment  to worry about it at a specific future time later in the day, and set an alarm to remind yourself so your brain can trust you enough to let it go, knowing you’ll get to it later.

4. Make it easy to get started

• Identify the  physical next step  you need to take in order to make progress with this work, and focus on WHAT you need to do to move things forward. For example, instead of telling yourself you need to write your essay, just focus first on looking in your bag for the rubric.
• Shrink the task down  to something so easy that you’re 100% confident in your ability to do it successfully.  For example: commit to focus on your work for just  5 minutes , or to write just  ONE paragraph , and then give yourself a break.
• Reduce performance pressure. For example: Instead of trying to write a “good” essay, start by creating a  rough  first draft.

5. Increase your motivation

• Create a reward, or incentive , for yourself by planning a specific, fun activity you will do as soon as you finish your work.
• Focus on the benefits  of finishing this assignment. Think about how  good  you will feel as soon as you have completed it, or about how much better you will do on your next test.  Or,f that doesn’t work for you, try considering the negative consequences of  not  finishing it to see if that feels more motivating.
• Increase your accountability , by working in a place where people can see what you’re doing, or making a public commitment (to a friend, roommate, parent, sibling, etc.) about what you will accomplish in this time period.

6. Increase the time pressure 

• Reduce the total amount of time  you have available to do the work, by creating constraints that require you to finish your work at a particular time. For example, you could tell a friend you’re going to Facetime them at 8 pm, and set a goal of finishing your homework before you allow yourself to call.
• Instead of setting aside 3 hours for homework, divide your work into  shorter intervals  and give yourself a  deadline  for each task.  For instance, rather than thinking “I have 3 hours to finish my homework”, think: “I have 30 minutes for my math homework, 30 minutes for my history reading…” etc. Use a  timer  to keep track of how much time you have left for each task.
• If the task feels really boring and tedious,  challenge yourself to see how quickly you can finish it by trying to set an absurdly SHORT deadline (e.g. if it would usually take 30 minutes, can you manage to do it in 15 if you really focus?)

How you can help

If your student is having difficulty staying focused , offer to help brainstorm ideas for how to improve their focus. You probably have lots of ideas, especially after reading this article! Try to resist the urge to give your student lots of ideas all at once, as this can create overwhelm and increase resistance to your ideas. Instead, encourage your student to come up with at least one idea of his or her own between each of your suggestions. Trade off suggesting ideas until you have 4-5 options to choose from, and then ask your student which ones seem like they would be most useful.

Alternatively, you’re welcome to forward this article to your student, so they can read about the strategies themselves.

If you think your student could benefit from working through this information with an Academic or ADHD coach who can help identify the strategies that will be most helpful for increasing their focus while studying, sign up for a free consultation here .

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How to Stay Focused at Work: 20 Effective Tips & Tricks

Table of Contents

Staying focused at work can be as much of a hassle as keeping your focus while working from home — you’ll likely have to deal with many distractions. Sometimes it’s noisy neighbors, other times, constant meetings take away from the time you should be spending on priority tasks.

Still, learning how to reduce common workplace distractions and tweaking your work (and life) habits can help you retain focus and keep moving forward.

To help you out with that, in this blog post, we’ll:

• Talk about why you struggle to focus at work, 
• Give you 20 effective tips that will help you improve your concentration, 
• Explain the main benefits of staying focused, and
• Provide you with some handy instant focusing techniques.

So, let’s begin.

Why do I struggle to focus at work?

Distractions are everywhere — whether you work in an actual office or you’re comfortably seated in your home chair. However, external distractions are not the only reason you can’t focus on work. 

Perhaps you waste your time on trivial things and burn your brainpower and energy by having an internal debate over what to eat or wear. 

Or, you might lead an unhealthy lifestyle and struggle with sleep deprivation which leads you to make more mistakes.

Some people even struggle to leave their personal issues out of work, making it difficult to manage their emotions and achieve the optimal level of focus for completing their tasks. 

So, before deciding on a technique for improving your focus, try to:

• Take a long hard look at your habits,
• Identify which of these concentration killers are the main culprits for your attention deficit, and
• Build your way up from there. 

This way you’ll be able to introduce far-reaching changes to your lifestyle and develop lifelong habits that will help you retain focus despite the circumstances.

Now that we’ve established why you can’t concentrate at work, we’ll provide you with some useful, practical advice on how to improve concentration.

20 Tips on how to stay focused at work

As we’ve promised, here are 20 tips that will show you how to increase focus by altering your work or lifestyle habits, inducing new scheduling methods, avoiding distractions, and much more.

So, let’s get right to it.

Tip #1: (Re-)evaluate your work habits

Before you start blaming others for distracting you and thus making you less productive, think about your work habits and whether they make you productive in the first place:

• Do you force yourself to get up early in the morning just because that’s what productivity gurus recommend, only to spend the hours before noon drowsy, moody, and unfocused?
• Do you wake up fully energized, only to immediately focus on frivolous tasks that drain your energy until you have no zest left to finish the project that’s due tomorrow?
• Do you work for 2 hours in the morning and then go to an early lunch just when you’ve fully immersed yourself in work because you want to adjust to your colleagues’ schedules?

If your answers are a sad “ yes ,” then it’s your own work habits that you need to re-evaluate and change.

How best to (re-)evaluate your work habits

A problem with your work habits has a lot to do with how you schedule your day. You may schedule activities too early or too late in relation to your biological prime time , i.e., the time when you’re the most productive:

• If you’re the most productive later in the afternoon (and you have flexible work hours), try to get to work at a later time — you’ll avoid the dreaded morning drowsiness and ensure a larger number of productive working hours per day.
• If you’re the most effective early in the morning, schedule your most important activities for this time — you’ll finish your priority tasks early, and spend the rest of the day working on less urgent activities, thus relieving yourself of unnecessary stress.
• If your colleagues have different productivity peak hours than you, don’t try to fit in with them no matter what — do your work at your own pace and try to socialize with colleagues at other times.

Following a fixed routine is beneficial for productivity, but, you’ll have no benefit from it if it’s the wrong fixed routine. So, work on your current schedules to find ideal times for all your assignments.

To calculate your biological prime time, you can use a time tracker like Clockify and track the time you spend on the same activities in the morning and the afternoon. That way, you’ll see when you’re more efficient with said activities.

You can do this for all your work activities to create an archive telling you when you’re the most efficient with a certain type of task.

💡 Clockify Pro Tip  

If you already know whether you are more productive earlier or later in the day, check out the following guides: 

• Why morning people are productive (+ tips for morning larks)
• Why some people are more productive at night (+ tips for night owls)

Tip #2: Create and follow a to-do list

Not organizing or prioritizing your work can interfere with your ability to concentrate, so it’s best to sort your tasks and make a to-do list.

Therefore, the first thing you need to do to start your day right is to create a to-do list you’ll follow. This way, you’ll know:

• Exactly what you need to do today, and
• Which tasks you’ll need to reserve time on your calendar for.

💡 Clockify Pro Tip

If you want to see the main differences between some of the interesting methods you can use to organize your to-do list, read our blog post:

• I tried 6 to-do list methods: Here’s my verdict

How best to create and follow a to-do list

Customize your own to-do lists to your liking — for this purpose, you can use one of our free to-do list templates . Whether for work, school, or even daily chores — create and download your personalized to-do list in PDF format, share it with your colleague in Google Docs, or simply print it out.

When creating your to-do list, make sure you:

• List all the tasks you need to do today,
• Parse these tasks into smaller subtasks you can keep track of more easily,
• Mark all items as urgent/NOT urgent and important/NOT important ,
• Reshuffle your list to put tasks and subtasks you marked as urgent/important first,
• Delegate the tasks and subtasks you’ve marked as urgent/NOT important — delete them from your to-do list, notify the person you’re delegating to, and
• Eliminate tasks you’ve marked as NOT urgent/NOT important — delete them from your to-do list.

Read more about the Eisenhower matrix and how to use it to make efficient to-do lists here:

• How can Eisenhower matrix improve your time management

It’s of the utmost importance to prioritize your work when creating to-do lists. Therefore, when you start working, do your urgent/important tasks and subtasks first, and your NOT urgent/important tasks and subtasks second.

Then, put a checkmark next to each task you finish, as soon as you finish it. Watching the number of tasks you’ve finished increase will make you feel more confident to continue working and reach the end of the list as soon as possible.

To facilitate the creation of a to-do list, you can use task management software like Plaky and have all your tasks sorted and in one place.

To learn more about the importance of prioritizing your workload and how to actually do it, check out this article: 

• The pickle jar theory in time management

Tip #3: Timebox your emails and meetings

On average, you spend about 13 hours per week on emails and about 6 hours on meetings. That means you spend almost half of your workweek on routine activities that don’t bring your company any profit.

To minimize the time you spend on these less important activities, you can limit meetings and inbox management tasks by timeboxing your schedule.

With timeboxing, you’ll plan your day more efficiently by allocating less time to activities that are not your priorities.

How best to timebox emails

For example, you can schedule 15 minutes for managing your inbox every 2–3 hours. Start the timer, and once the 15 minutes are up, close your inbox, even if you’re in the middle of writing an email.

After 2–3 hours, it will be time for another email timebox. You’ll then have 15 minutes to continue writing the said email.

How best to timebox meetings

The same goes for meetings. If you have a standup meeting every day, set aside 20 minutes for it each day, and try to wrap up the meeting as soon as the 20 minutes are up.

This way, you’ll ensure you stick to your meeting agenda and keep everyone focused on what they want to say in a straightforward and fast manner.

By timeboxing your meetings, you’ll put the time you spend on them under control and save more time and concentration to allocate to more important tasks.

In case you’re not the one who organizes the meeting and decides how long it’ll last, you can maintain your focus by automating repetitive tasks , which will leave you enough time to finish all the tasks that require your undivided attention.

If you’re interested in learning how to organize your tasks and your time for maximum efficiency, check out this blog post:

• How to be more efficient with your tasks

Tip #4: Define personal deadlines

Setting personal deadlines and parsing your project into milestones helps you work your way through projects briskly. A personal deadline can be any time frame you come up with that comes before your official deadline. 

Even though official deadlines set by your supervisor or clients still remain your main frame of reference, personal deadlines are there to increase your chances of completing your tasks on time. 

How best to define personal deadlines

So, once you are assigned your share of work on a project, block time in your calendar for your tasks and set a realistic deadline. Here’s what you should keep in mind when defining your personal deadline:

• Don’t set a loose deadline — according to Parkinson’s Law , all your tasks expand to fill the time you’ve allocated to them, so try not to give yourself more time than you need. 
• Don’t be overly optimistic about your deadline either — Hofstadter’s Law states that your tasks usually take more time than you originally think, so try to be as realistic as possible when setting a deadline. 

The best practice is to set your deadline based on previous experience with the same type of tasks. If you know it takes you 3 hours on average to finish a project proposal, then you should set a deadline of 3 hours each time you write a project proposal.

Sure, sometimes it will take you 5–10 minutes more, sometimes 5–10 minutes less, depending on the scope of the proposal. However, following the steps for defining personal deadlines will help you obtain the most precise time estimate faster than ever before. 

Tip #5: Make others aware of your schedule

Once you’ve organized your work, defined your deadlines, and identified your priorities, it’s best to make sure your colleagues are aware of your schedule.

How best to make others aware of your schedule

For this purpose, you can take a popular time management game called “Circadian Rhythms” as inspiration and make your schedule public. To play this game, you and your colleagues need to write plans with your daily activities and your energy levels throughout the day and post those plans on a wall. This way, everyone gets to see when is the right time to call their co-workers and for what type of task.

Aside from posting plans on a wall, to make your co-workers aware of your schedule, you can:

• Hang a printed version of your schedule for the day/week on the front of your office door, or
• Share your Google Calendar with your colleagues.

As an alternative, you and your colleagues can join the same workspace to track time in a team Dashboard . This way, you’ll all be able to see what everyone is currently working on and decide whether it’s the right time to interrupt them.

Tip #6: Take short breaks

According to research on the effectiveness of short breaks for improving well-being and performance , breaks are among the most important things that not only help you focus but also reduce your mental fatigue levels. They function as controlled distractions from our work, vastly improving our ability to concentrate and thus perform better at work.

So, taking regular breaks is important for maintaining focus for longer periods of time — you’ll recharge your energy and increase your alertness levels.

How best to take short breaks

As the previously mentioned research explains, taking a respite from working on tasks helps us be more productive and stay energized and concentrated throughout our workday.

So, to make sure to take frequent breaks, take a look at the list of ideas on what to do when you step away from your desk:

• Go outside to take a walk around the block — the fresh air and natural sunlight will help increase your productivity and even help you improve your sleep quality .
• Make yourself a cup of green tea — this type of tea is a superfood filled with antioxidants, minerals, and caffeine, perfect to increase your physical performance.
• Do some desk stretches — you’ll feel refreshed.
• Watch an educational TED video — you’ll distract your mind from a current problem for 5 minutes and learn something new, like how sugar affects your brain and why we dream.
• Chat with a colleague you rarely see by the water cooler or reach out to them via the team chat app — you’ll get a social boost and refresh your mind.

What’s more, you can make use of the Pomodoro timer that can help you track the time you spend on tasks while keeping you focused and improving your productivity altogether.

The Pomodoro technique works on a very simple yet effective principle. You work in 25-minute “pomodoro” intervals separated by short 5-minute breaks. Every five “ pomodoros ,” take a 20 or 30-minute break.

Afterward, it will be easier to start another focused work session. Plus, now you’ll know you have something to look forward to when you start feeling too hazy to continue work.

Tip #7: Turn off notifications in apps

Notifications in apps are useful in general. They tell you when you can update a favorite program with new useful features or when your colleague has just sent you a new message. 

But, when you’re trying to focus, a message from your colleague telling you about the newest Black Friday deals would only distract you.

How best to turn off notifications in apps

You can disable notifications on all your devices altogether or disable notifications just for a select number of apps.

Most apps have the option to disable notifications, so you can do that app by app. For example, you can select the channels you want to get notifications from in the settings of your chat app or block updates from a certain program you’re looking to uninstall anyway.

Learn about the importance of decluttering your digital workspace here: 

• How to declutter your digital space

Also, you can use ‘ Do Not Disturb’ mode for your emails. 

According to Juliet Dreamhunter , a certified goal success coach and productivity consultant, utilizing ‘ Do Not Disturb’ mode for emails is one of the best ways to take control over your focus:

“Emails can be really disruptive to your work and prevent you from getting important tasks done. Set designated times to check your inbox and turn off email notifications so they don’t constantly pull your attention away from focused work.”

Have you ever thought about the amount of time you spend checking your inbox? To learn how to manage your emails more productively, check out what a professional organizer, Patty Kreamer, says on the subject:

• How to manage email productivity: Tips from Patty Kreamer, a professional organizer

Tip #8: Schedule quiet time

Finding some quiet time when you have to finish an important assignment with flying colors is often challenging.

So, it’s best to find a quiet, isolated place where you can go to work when you need ultimate focus and zero distractions.

How best to schedule quiet time

If you work from home and get distracted by noisy household members, try setting some ground rules. You can all sit down together and make a schedule, or some sort of compromise, that fits everyone’s needs. If you need quiet time for an important video call or a task that needs to be completed by tomorrow, that can be an ideal opportunity for them to finish some of their errands outside the house.

In other cases, like when you work on-site, you may have to leave your desk and move to some other, distraction-free room to work.

Nowadays, most companies that operate on-site have an open office policy — you all sit and work together, for better or for worse. 

But, most offices still have isolated rooms for meetings and similar activities.

So, when you’re feeling overwhelmed but have an important project proposal to finish:

• “Book” the conference room for an hour or two when there are no meetings and job interviews planned.
• Explain to your colleagues that you don’t want to be disturbed during this time.
• Take your laptop, put on your headphones (if you want a fully immersive effect), and focus all your attention on the task at hand.

As a result, you’ll likely work faster and achieve better-quality results. You’ll probably also feel a nice tingle of accomplishment once you re-emerge in the open office with a perfect final product.

Tip #9: Avoid your phone

Your phone is often your biggest obstacle on the road to focus at work. You can use it for phone calls, texting, browsing the Web, posting pics on Instagram, and more. In other words, you might use your phone to waste the time you should be allocating to work.

So, if you’re wondering how to increase focus and attention, avoid your phone like the plague during work hours.

How best to avoid your phone

It’s best to keep your phone on mute at work. This way, you won’t get distracted by notifications about personal emails, texts, phone calls, and news articles delivered directly to your inbox at an alarming (and annoying) rate.

Unfortunately, putting your phone on mute will only get you so far.

You can always reach for it in your pocket and see all these new, shiny notifications any time you want. So, you’ll likely need to take more drastic measures to deal with your lack of self-discipline at work.

Your best solution is to leave your phone or other devices that you use for cyberloafing at a place you can’t always reach. Cyberloafing happens when you use the Internet for personal use (e.g. surfing the Web, using social media, etc.) during office hours. To prevent that, leave distracting devices at some of these places:

• A locked desk drawer,
• A hard-to-reach place in your bag,
• A cabinet in the office kitchen, or
• The glove department of your car parked 8 stories below and half a mile away.

The more attached to your phone you are, the further away you should leave your phone during work time — this way, you won’t fall into temptation as often. And, if you do, you’ll at least get some fresh air and exercise looking for your car in the parking lot.

Tip #10: Avoid time-consuming websites

Working on the computer for 8 hours per day also makes it relatively easy to slack off on the computer. You can watch random YouTube videos, scroll your Instagram feed, and aimlessly browse the web. 

Such procrastination habits can easily lead you to fall out of line with your schedule and work extra hours to make up for the lost time.

How best to avoid time-consuming websites

Avoiding fun websites such as YouTube is much easier said than done, so once again, it’s best to turn to an external app to help you block time-consuming websites.

Website blockers such as Cold Turkey or Freedom are a good choice — they let you add the URLs of the websites you want to avoid to a blacklist. Consequently, you won’t be able to access them during preset times or until you whitelist them.

In case you want to have detailed reports on how you spend time throughout your workday, you can automatically track your computer activity to better manage your time. 

This way, you’ll have a better grasp of how much time you spend on productive work and how much on distractions such as social media, emailing, and similar. Comparing these times will definitely beat the habit of cyberloafing and improve your focus once and for all.

Tip #11: Use specialized headphones

Your focus is also often challenged by the noise from your surroundings — whether you have to deal with noisy neighbors and household members or work in an office full of people where there’s always something going on.

In case you’re, for some reason, unable to move from the noise and relocate to an empty conference room or similar, specialized headphones are a great solution. They’ll help you block the noise and give you some peace at work.

How best to use specialized headphones

Investing in a pair of noise-canceling headphones is a great idea — whether you work from home or in an open space office, they will enable you to concentrate better by dampening the disruptive noises around you. 

They’re also useful because they almost completely erase lower-frequency sound waves — the same sound waves that make you tired if you’re exposed to them for too long.

However, the only downside to noise-canceling headphones is that they often come with a hefty price tag. But you can usually find some affordable solutions or borrow a pair from a tech-savvy friend.

Or, you can make a request letter for these headphones at the office and see whether it gets approved.

Tip #12: Use productivity tools and extensions

Sometimes, you just need a little extra help with staying fully focused on your work. Luckily, the ever-evolving world of technology offers a lot of hands-on tools and extensions for that purpose.

The previously mentioned website blockers and time trackers are just the tip of the iceberg — there are various tools that can help you plan your workday and execute work with focus.

How best to use productivity tools and extensions

For maximum output, use productivity tools to: 

• Track your progress,
• Streamline your workflow, and
• Stay on the right track.

If you need a detailed list of productivity tools and extensions you can use, here are some of our blog posts to help you decide on the best tool for your needs:

• The best productivity tools for programmers
• Best Chrome extensions for productivity
• 20 best productivity apps for Mac
• Top productivity tools for remote teams

You can also use various browser extensions to increase your productivity levels and  redirect your attention whenever it wanders.

We asked Alexis Haselberger , a time management and productivity coach, what she thinks is the best way to stay focused at work. Alexis claims that using a Chrome extension such as Momentum can help us subtly redirect ourselves:

“When you have Momentum installed, every time you open a new browser tab, you’ll be confronted with what you planned to do that day instead of whatever rabbit hole your mind is trying to follow.”

This type of extension — which is actually a personal dashboard — uses daily inspirational photos, encouraging quotes, and your own to-do lists as friendly reminders to redirect your focus.

Nowadays, you can also find a productivity tracker to help you with every type of activity you have to perform at work. So, make your picks and remember — using productivity tools can help you decrease stress and finish work faster.

Tip #13: Set up a comfortable workstation

You won’t be able to focus properly if your chair and desk are uncomfortable — common problems include backaches, migraines, and increased fatigue.

Moreover, staring at a blank wall surrounded by dim lighting and stuffy air won’t do you any good either.

So, you’ll need to make some adjustments and tweaks to your workstation for maximum comfort.

How best to set up a comfortable workstation

If your desk allows no alterations, you’ll have to focus most of your energy on adjusting your chair:

• Raise or lower the seat pan — so that your feet lay flat on the floor or the feet rest.
• Ask your operations manager for computer risers — your screen should be at or slightly below your eye level.
• Adjust the back support of your chair — so that you feel comfortable sitting for long periods of time.
• Adjust the armrests — so that your arms can rest nicely without you hunching your shoulders.

Next, you’ll need to elevate your workspace with the right lighting and some greenery:

• Bring a small houseplant to put on your desk — plants help relieve stress in the workplace, and you’ll have something to take care of when you need to put your mind off work.
• Open the shutters on the windows closest to you — to bring in as much natural light as possible and keep yourself fresh and alert — if your colleagues protest about this, bring in a small overhead LED lamp you’ll use to emulate natural lighting just for you.

Finally, make sure your workspace is organized by removing distractions such as your favorite book, an interesting figurine you keep looking at, and similar from your desk.

You may believe that you can find everything you need in your creative chaos setting. However, according to research on how visual stimuli affects our cognitive functions , both our concentration levels and productivity decrease when we’re constantly looking at the clutter around us.

Interested in improving your focus under various conditions at work? Check out our other focus guides:

• How to stay focused in meeting at work
• How to stay focused when approaching retirement
• How to stay focused at work during the holidays
• How to stay focused at work on the computer

Tip #14: Meditate for 5 minutes

Meditation helps you relax and regain your focus after a stressful work session. On top of that, you can easily meditate at work whenever you need to organize your thoughts for future work.

In addition, people with ADHD can benefit from a specific mental training practice called mindfulness meditation . This type of meditation can help increase attentional functioning and other cognitive abilities. 

A study aimed at the effects of mindfulness meditation on attention (among people with ADHD) showed that mindfulness meditation:

• Improved participants’ sustained attention — i.e., the ability to focus on one specific task such as reading a book, watching TV, etc. — by 54.2%, and 
• Reduced their impulsivity (commission errors such as pressing a control button twice instead of once).

How best to meditate for 5 minutes

You can meditate at work during short breaks between tasks. This practice can relieve stress and help you regain focus, but it can also serve as a great strategy to help people who cope with ADHD. 

A five-minute meditation is easy and efficient if you follow these 7 basic steps:

• Sit on the floor next to your chair or in the conference room,
• Close your eyes,
• Breathe deeply in a rhythmic pattern,
• Focus on your breathing,
• Don’t ignore your thoughts but perceive them as clouds passing by,
• If you feel anxiety or fear, take a short break and return to your breathing exercises, and
• Perform these meditation exercises for 5 minutes per session.

By the end of each session, you’ll feel refreshed and more likely to focus on the next task on your to-do list. Regularly repeating this practice will help reduce impulsivity and inattention from ADHD.

Tip #15: Build a better bedtime routine

Many of the mistakes we make due to lack of focus actually stem from sleep deprivation — the lack of regular sleep not only influences our attention but also hinders our daily performance. This is why we want to emphasize the importance of having an established bedtime routine. 

Adults aged from 18 to 60 need seven or more hours of night’s sleep , while people aged from 61 and over need up to 9 hours of sleep each night. 

Therefore, creating a bedtime routine is one of the best things you can do to get enough sleep and be energized enough to focus at work.

How best to build a better bedtime routine

To get enough sleep and stop yawning at work, try incorporating the following tips into your bedtime routine:

• Have a regular sleep-wake cycle (for example, go to bed at 10 p.m. and wake up at 6 a.m.),
• Drink a cup of chamomile or lavender tea to calm your mind before you go to bed,
• Read a book before bed to reduce stress,
• Always aerate your bedroom during the day or half an hour before you go to sleep,
• Don’t eat heavy and fatty foods before sleep,
• Don’t drink caffeinated drinks,
• Don’t scroll through social media, and
• Don’t chug lots of water to avoid getting up in the middle of the night.

Tip #16: Get some exercise during the day

Exercising boosts your energy, gets your blood flowing, and makes you more alert — which are all excellent qualities for focused work. So, it’s a good idea to include an exercise routine at work, at least to some extent.

Sure, you can’t really bring a treadmill into the office if you work on-site (unless your company has a lax policy about such things) — but you can introduce exercising on a smaller scale.

How best to get some exercise during the day

If you work from home, you can use the most convenient spot in your apartment, spread out the mat, and do a 10-minute break workout. You can find some really easy but effective 10-minute break workouts on Youtube , and you don’t even need any special equipment — just a little bit of space.

Even if you’re working on-site, you can still do a series of quick and easy exercises during break time. You can use water bottles (or bring in your own set of weights) to do a couple of overhead presses or arm curls right at your desk.

Also, if you have flexible working hours and have a gym near the office, you can parse your day to work/exercise segments:

• Work for 4 hours in the morning,
• Hit the gym for 1 hour in the afternoon, and
• Finish your workday with 4 hours of focused work after the gym.

Alternatively, you can take a quick jog around the office building before lunch to really get your blood flowing.

If you need some more useful exercises to keep your body and brain active throughout the day, here are 10 productivity exercises you can try:

• 10 Productivity exercises for body and mind

Tip #17: Do one thing at a time

Have you ever caught yourself trying to switch between projects and tasks more often than is humanly possible? You probably thought this would help you get more done, but in fact, multitasking will only make you confused and less productive.

Instead of dealing with several tasks simultaneously, try doing one thing at a time. It will enable you to direct all your attention to that particular task and do it in the best possible way. 

When you’re 100% focused on one task, you can think more clearly and be more effective.  

How best to do one thing at a time

As we already mentioned, multitasking tears up your mental energy, so the best advice is to avoid it as much as you can.

To avoid multitasking, you should:

• Create a list of daily priorities and follow it,
• Try to say “No” more when asked to handle some additional tasks, and
• Close unnecessary tabs in your browser.

If you minimize distractions and stick to the defined list of priority tasks, you’ll decrease the amount of information your brain is trying to process. That way, you’ll maintain your focus and actually get bigger chunks of work done. 

Tip #18: Keep a record of your thoughts

If you feel like you can’t focus at work or on a specific task at hand because you can’t stop thinking about some other, perhaps non-work-related issues, try writing your thoughts down in a journal or a planner.

Getting those distracting thoughts out of your head will empty your mind of clutter and get your focus back on track. 

How best to keep a record of your thoughts

According to research on the benefits of journaling , writing our thoughts down not only reduces stress but also helps us understand our own feelings and thoughts better and clear our minds.

So, whether you’ve suddenly got a new idea on how to redecorate your bedroom or a solution to a troublesome task that isn’t even on your schedule for today, just write it down in your journal and remove these thoughts from your head.

Aside from keeping a journal, you can keep a record of your thoughts by:

• Writing them down on index cards,
• Making a quick note on your phone, or even
• Using a voice recorder.

That way, you’ll get rid of unnecessary ideas and thoughts and be able to pay attention to what matters at that moment.

Are you looking for a more creative way to keep track of your time and daily activities? Using a bullet journal time-tracking technique could be the right solution for you, so read our blog post and learn everything about it:

• I tested bullet journal time tracking for a week

Tip #19: Find purpose in your work

If you’re not really sure what the point of doing a certain task is or what your ultimate career goals are, you may find it hard to stay motivated and thus focused. 

Finding purpose in what you’re doing is essential to staying focused at work. Sometimes you may feel lost career-wise, without any instant benefits arising from your hard work, but that’s just because you haven’t set clearly defined goals for yourself.

To learn more about how to find motivation and what motivation strategies you can try out, read our blog post on the subject:

• How do you motivate yourself to keep working

How best to find purpose in your work

You can start by setting smaller goals that will gradually grow. Still, keep in mind that  these goals should be clear and realistic, such as, for example, “I want to earn that promotion” or “I want to improve my skills and get another certification.”

When you connect your daily tasks to a wider purpose, it’ll be much easier for you to concentrate on the task at hand because you’ll be able to see your effort paying off in the long run.

Tip #20: Create your own “focus mantra”

Having a personal mantra — such as affirmations or reminders of your priorities — is another great way to motivate yourself and stay focused on work.

How best to create your own “focus mantra”

According to Alexis Hasselberger, choosing a phrase that you can say to yourself to redirect your attention back to the task at hand helps a great deal with focus:

“When I find my mind wandering, or when I feel the urge to check email when I’m working on a big report, I say ‘Do what you’re doing right now’ to redirect myself.”

This is a simple yet effective way to quickly get back on track and finish the task you’ve been working on.  

What are the main benefits of staying focused?

Perhaps you don’t need to be reminded of the benefits of staying focused. However, in case you still have trouble setting your mind to making some changes, we’ve singled out some of the greatest benefits of being focused. 

Benefit #1: Staying focused ensures productivity at work

As we mentioned before, focus and productivity are closely related — you’ll hardly ever become productive if you don’t learn to maintain your focus.

Staying focused also helps you make the most of your workday. You’ll be able to finish all the planned tasks, and maybe even quicker than you anticipated.

As Alexis explains, the primary benefit of being focused at work is that you can work far fewer hours and get the same work done:

“Studies show that most people lose up to 1/3 of their workday simply to recover from distractions. Many people end up working much longer than a standard 8-hour work day to account for this. This means that if you are able to reduce distractions and stay focused, you can fit all your work into a standard workweek, or maybe even less, which means that you’ll have more time to do whatever you like outside of work!”

Benefit #2: Staying focused helps you reach a “flow state” and perform better

A flow state, colloquially known as ‘ being in the zone, ’ is a state of mind that allows you to get fully absorbed in a task at hand and thus perform better. So, if you want to produce high-quality work, you’ll first need to focus deeply on what you’re doing.

Productivity consultant, Juliet Dreamhunter, further explains that achieving a deep-focused flow state is important as it leads to better performance at work:

“When you concentrate on one task and avoid multitasking, you enter a deep focused flow state, a mental state where you are fully immersed in the activity, leading to higher productivity and quality of work.”

To learn more about how to get into a state of uninterrupted workflow and work faster and better, read our article on the subject:

• How to engage in Deep Work and achieve your goals

Benefit #3: Staying focused reduces stress

When we are fully concentrated at work, not only do we perform better, but we also stress less because we get to complete everything we want for the day. 

According to research on the impact of stress on attention , stress exposure and attention deficit are highly related — the more we stress, the lesser our ability to complete our task requirements is.

Moreover, when we’re able to stay on task long enough to successfully complete it, we feel a sense of accomplishment and more at ease.

To add to the subject, this time Juliet explains that staying focused benefits our mental health too:

“Staying focused minimizes the cognitive load associated with task-switching, which minimizes stress and helps avoid burnout.”

So, we can conclude that working on your focus definitely helps your overall well-being.

To learn more about burnout and its effect on health, read the blog post below:

• Career burnout and its effect on health

Quick concentration techniques for instant attention boost

You might be reading this blog post and thinking: “The tips would probably help me focus, but it’ll take too much time!”  

So, in case you need to focus right now, take a look at the following brain hacks that can help you concentrate within minutes .

Bear in mind that these might not work for everyone — but considering they virtually take no time, you can give them a try.

Focus hack #1: Try the 5-second rule

The 5-second rule, introduced in the eponymous book by Mel Robbins , is as simple as it sounds.

When you can’t make yourself start working on a task, count down from 5 — the moment you reach 0, plunge yourself into work.

Maybe all you need is that initial push to get things going.

Focus hack #2: Utilize the 4-7-8 breathing technique

The 4-7-8 technique was developed by Dr. Andrew Weil and is based on a yogic practice of controlled breathing, i.e., pranayama . This breathing technique helps reduce stress, which is always a good step toward regaining focus.

Here’s how to practice it:

• Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whooshing “ocean” sound (by making a soft restriction in the back of your throat),
• Inhale through your nose for 4 seconds,
• Hold your breath for 7 seconds,
• Exhale through the mouth for 8 seconds, again making the “ocean” sound, and
• Repeat the cycle several times.

Focus hack #3: Do the work and the brain will catch up

No concentration? No problem!

Your focus may be failing you, but your body won’t. It may sound silly, but if you’re putting off a task because you can’t focus, you should try Nike’s advice — just do it.

This advice might irritate you — if you could just do it, you would be doing it already . 

However, the point is — you don’t have to do it well to start with.

For example, if you’re trying to write an article and your mind is blank, just open your doc, and start writing anything — even if it’s complete gibberish. Your mind will eventually catch up with your fingers, and before you know it, you’ll be fully focused and ready to do the real work.

Final thoughts: Building focus is doable, just find what works for you

Keeping focus at work is crucial for a successful career. It’s sometimes challenging but always manageable — if you follow the right focus tips.

Even though tweaking your focus takes time as you need to make changes in your lifestyle and start some new routines, for a quick solution, you can always try out some of the focus hacks we mentioned.

In the end, when you change your habits, you’ll find that you’re finishing your work faster and better, which will ensure you feel happier with your job and life overall.

Marija Kojic is a productivity writer who's always researching about various productivity techniques and time management tips in order to find the best ones to write about. She can often be found testing and writing about apps meant to enhance the workflow of freelancers, remote workers, and regular employees. Appeared in G2 Crowd Learning Hub, The Good Men Project, and Pick the Brain, among other places.

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• How to focus: Tips to get things done i ...

How to focus: Tips to get things done in a distracted world

Focus is more than just concentration—it’s an approach to work that can help you minimize distractions, take charge of your time, and protect yourself from burnout. Learn about common barriers to focus and their solutions, and get science-backed tips to help you stay in the zone.

Picture this: you’ve got a demanding task to accomplish, but it feels nearly impossible to focus. You try to force yourself to concentrate, but the work just drags on and seems to take much longer than it should. 

Sound familiar? If it does, you’re not alone. 

The truth is, being able to focus isn’t as simple as just deciding to do it. There are lots of factors that can impact your ability to focus, from digital distractions to a lack of clarity around which tasks are most important. In this article we describe common practices that can prevent you from focusing, with science-backed solutions to help you stay in the zone. 

What is focus? 

Focus is essential to tackle difficult tasks, think creatively, and work efficiently. It can help us get things done better and faster, avoid burnout, and end each day feeling like we’ve accomplished something. 

How to find focus & flow in a distracted world

Get science-backed tips from experts in psychology and neuroscience. Learn how to minimize distractions and focus on high-priority tasks, so you can flourish at home and at work.

What’s sapping your focus? 

In the modern workplace, focus is often elusive. Here are the four most common reasons you (or your team) can’t focus, plus how to solve them. 

Trying to multitask

According to our research , nearly three in four employees (72%) feel pressure to multitask during the day. But while multitasking may feel more productive, it’s actually just task switching in disguise. 

Our brains aren’t wired to truly multitask, so when you try to do two things at once—like drafting emails during a meeting—you’re actually switching between those tasks at lightning speed. And since we pay a mental cost for every switch, we’re actually getting less done and making more errors when we try to multitask. 

Multitasking is a myth. In reality, it’s rapidly switching from one task to another, and then back again. And every time you make that switch, you pay a ‘tax’ on both your time and your energy. For that reason, it’s almost always more efficient to monotask: Focus on one thing and move on when you’re done, so you don’t pay unnecessary switching taxes.”

The solution: Schedule focus time

Instead of toggling between different tasks throughout the day, schedule dedicated time to focus on one specific project. Two common methods for scheduling focus time are timeboxing and time blocking. Timeboxing is a time-management strategy in which you estimate the amount of time a task will take and box out time to complete it. During a timebox, you ignore all other tasks until the box is over. The concept of time blocking is similar—but instead of boxing out time for a single task, you group similar tasks together and complete them all in one time block. For example, you might schedule a time block to answer emails. 

Regardless of of which method you choose, here are some tips to help you schedule focus time: 

Block out time on your calendar. Set a status (like “do not disturb” or “in a focus block”) on any instant messaging apps you use, so your colleagues know you’re in heads-down mode. 

Eliminate distractions . Turn off notifications for email and instant messaging, and close out of any applications or windows you’re not using for the work at hand. Put your phone in a drawer or out of sight so you’re not tempted to answer phone calls or text messages. 

When you’re done, take a break. If you can, get away from your computer and do something physical, like stretching or taking a walk. 

Empowering your team to carve out focus time can significantly boost productivity. According to productivity research from UC Berkeley’s Becoming Superhuman Lab , when leaders encourage “Focus Sprints” for their teams (dedicated focus time when team members don’t switch between apps or monitor their inbox), people report being 43% more productive. 

Monitoring your inbox 

While email and messaging tools are essential to work, they are being misused, causing office mayhem and pushing people to the brink of burnout. Rather than bringing teams together, they can create silos as information gets spread throughout multiple apps and groups.

Additionally, these tools are meant for communication, not for large-scale (or even small-scale) project management. When projects at work are managed through email or messaging, neverending notifications and scattered information are the end result, making it difficult for teams to concentrate at work.

Yet, 80% of knowledge workers report working with their inbox or other communication apps open. And while many people feel pressure to respond to messages immediately, this constant monitoring comes at a cost. When you check notifications while you work, you’re constantly task switching and losing momentum each time a new message pops into your inbox. In fact, it can take upwards of 20 minutes to regain momentum after an interruption—so if you check your inbox three times in a span of two hours, that’s half your potential focus time lost. 

These focus-draining notifications make it impossible to tap into flow state or deep work —a mental state in which you can focus without distraction and accomplish difficult tasks faster and more effectively. 

Most people I know don't have a workday anymore. They have these little pockets of time, between meetings and calls and answering emails, where they have 15 minutes here, 30 minutes here, 45 minutes there, and that’s their workday.”

The solution: Answer emails and messages in batches

According to a 2016 MIT study , people who check their email in batches report higher productivity compared to those who rely on notifications to answer messages. Batching involves checking email and messages only during dedicated times throughout the day, so you can avoid costly interruptions when you’re trying to check important tasks off your to-do list. 

Here’s how to do it:  

Schedule time to process messages and email . The frequency you choose depends on the nature of your work—for example, an account manager may need to check messages more frequently in order to maintain contact with clients. If you can, try starting with two 30-minute blocks, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. 

Turn off notifications. Whatever communication apps you use, snooze notifications or turn on Do Not Disturb mode to ensure you don’t see distracting icons and banners flash across your screen when you’re trying to focus. And if you really need to concentrate, close out of email and messaging apps completely. 

Let your team know when you’re available. Share your communication preferences with your team and let them know when you typically answer messages. If you’re a manager, encourage your direct reports to do the same. And if your team uses an instant messaging app like Slack, set statuses to indicate when you’re focusing or available to chat. 

Long virtual meetings

According to cognitive neuroscientist Dr. Sahar Yousef, we use significantly more brainpower to pay attention during a video call than during a face-to-face meeting. In fact, a 2020 Microsoft study showed that video fatigue sets in at the 30-minute mark for virtual meetings, meaning it becomes much harder to focus past that point. On the flip side, we can usually maintain focus for 45 to 60 minutes when we’re talking face-to-face. 

Video conferencing is actually physiologically more draining and requires more neurological effort to stay alert and maintain attention. At the end of the day, when your body is tired and your attention is completely sapped, it isn’t your fault—your brain is overloaded.”

The solution: Plan virtual meetings intentionally 

Making your meetings shorter (30 minutes or less) and more efficient is the best way to reduce video fatigue. Here are some tips to set your meetings up for success: 

Consider whether you need a meeting in the first place. Sometimes, a status report or asynchronous update can work just as well as (or better than) a call. As an added bonus, asynchronous updates give your team more uninterrupted time to focus on work that matters. 

Share an agenda and any materials attendees should read in advance. An agenda helps you move efficiently from topic to topic and ensures you don’t miss any critical pieces. Plus, sharing materials in advance helps attendees come prepared to discuss and propose solutions.

Consider team preferences. Ask your team when they prefer to meet and when they’re typically in heads-down focus mode. For example, if the majority of your team likes to reserve their mornings for focus time, try to schedule meetings in the afternoon. 

End meetings a few minutes early. Back-to-back meetings can quickly drain everyone’s mental reserves. A few minutes break between sessions can help your brain reset, especially if you step away from your screen. 

Turn off self-view during video meetings , or cover the image of your face with a sticky note. Seeing your own face during a video call activates the part of your brain responsible for facial recognition and is an extra drain on your focus. “Imagine if someone walked into a conference room carrying a full-length mirror to watch themselves,” says Dr. Yousef . “That’s essentially what we’re doing when we see our own faces on a video call.” 

Lack of clarity

When you experience clarity at work, you know what goals you’re working towards, the responsibilities of your role, and how to prioritize your tasks. But without that clarity, it’s hard to prioritize work and determine what’s in (or out) of scope. As a result, you might end up splitting your focus between too many projects, getting lost in small tasks like chat and email, and feeling like you’re not accomplishing enough. 

Lack of clarity is a common occurrence. According to our research , 29% of knowledge workers feel overworked due to a lack of clarity on tasks and roles. 

Clarity about what matters provides clarity about what does not.”

The solution: Create (and communicate) clear goals

Clear goals are like a compass. They help you decide what’s important to focus on and what you can deprioritize. For example, imagine you have a quarterly goal to improve engagement on Instagram, and a smaller short-term goal to write 10 Instagram posts per week. With that goal in mind, you can decide to use your next block of uninterrupted time to draft and plan social media copy rather than answering emails. In this example, your goal helps you focus on work that matters and avoid getting sidetracked with less-important tasks. 

Here’s how to create clarity with goals: 

Create and share SMART goals with your team . SMART goals are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound. They provide a clear roadmap and finish line for your project. For example, a product team could set the following SMART goal: “In Q3, partner with the customer service team to create a chatbot for our desktop website.” 

Track progress towards your goals . Goals are a powerful motivator because they ensure that your day-to-day work has a clear purpose. But in order for goals to be effective, they should be connected to your work. That means you should make a plan to regularly check in and update your progress—for example, at the end of each day or week.  

Set daily MITs (most important tasks) . Every day, write down 1-3 things you want to accomplish. This helps you focus and gives you permission to clock out once those tasks are accomplished—the key to avoiding burnout and maintaining focus long-term. When cognitive neuroscientist Dr. Yousef tried this method at her lab , the team saw a 28% increase in individual productivity and a 42% reduction in burnout. 

5 tips to boost your focus

We’ve covered the four most common reasons you might struggle to focus, plus ways to get around them. If you’re still having trouble, try these five tips to get in the zone and maximize your productivity.

1. Create triggers to tell your brain it’s time to focus 

According to Dr. Yousef , our brains have memories. When we pair a certain environment with a specific stimulus (like sitting at a clean desk and writing), our mind creates a cognitive association—it remembers and anticipates that stimulus in the future. That means the next time you clear off your workspace and sit down to write, your brain will be predisposed to focus on that task. 

If you’re having trouble concentrating, try creating cognitive associations to let your brain know it’s time to focus. Here are some ideas: 

Light a candle.

Drink a specific beverage, like a cup of coffee or tea.

Listen to a specific type of music. 

Wear specific clothes—if you’re working from home , this could mean dressing up like you’re going to the office.

Clear your desk space. 

Go to a specific location, like an office, coffee shop, or a specific area of your house reserved for work. 

2.  Tap into your biological clock

Your personal biology may influence when you’re most productive during the day. According to Nobel Prize-winning research , every person has a “chronotype”—a pre-set circadian rhythm that determines the fluctuations in our daily energy levels. And when you know your chronotype , you can schedule focus blocks during your peak hours and save less-demanding tasks for when you have less energy and your attention span is shorter. Most people fall within these three categories: 

AM-shifted: You naturally wake up early in the morning and feel most productive at the start of the day. If this sounds like you, tackle creative tasks first thing in the morning, and leave your afternoons for less demanding work. 

Bi-phasic: Your peak focus time falls between 10am and 2pm, with an energy dip midday. You may experience a “second wind” of energy in the evening. Focus on big tasks before lunch or later in the day after your afternoon slump. 

PM-shifted: You prefer to wake up later and do your most product work in the late afternoon and evening. If you’re PM shifted, ease into the day with tasks that don’t require as much brainpower and reserve your late afternoons for focus time. 

3. Consolidate tasks in one tool

When you rely on your memory to keep track of tasks, you’re taking up valuable brainspace trying to remember things. But when you write down everything you need to do in one place, you can use that mental energy to focus on completing those tasks. This is one of the concepts behind David Allen’s Getting Things Done (GTD) method—because in order to prioritize your work, you need to capture it all first. 

The way you record tasks matters. Instead of using paper lists or spreading your attention between multiple online tools, try using a single project management tool to organize all of your project information and tasks. That way, you can track and share action items in the same place where work happens.

4. Try a time management strategy

The right time management strategy can go a long way in helping you focus by helping you avoid multitasking and understand how you’re spending time. While the approach you choose depends on your personal work preferences, here are some options to get you started:  

The Pomodoro Technique : You don’t need to focus for long periods of time to get things done. This technique uses 25-minute work sessions and 5-minute breaks, so you can tackle one task at a time and reduce mental fatigue. 

Time blocking : With time blocking, you schedule out every single part of your day. This technique can help if you want to reclaim your day and understand how you’re spending your time. 

Timeboxing : Timeboxing involves creating a “timebox,” during which you aim to finish a specific task within a certain time frame. This method can help if you struggle with multitasking and checking notifications throughout the day. 

Eat the frog : This method involves tackling your most difficult task first before you do any other work. As Mark Twain once said, if you have to eat a live frog, do it first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you throughout the day. 

The Pareto Principle : Also known as the 80/20 rule, this principle states that roughly 80% of outcomes come from 20% of causes. When it comes to productivity, this means some tasks have significantly more impact than others—and if you focus on those, you can maximize your impact.

5. Prioritize your well-being

Taking care of your physical wellness and mental health is one of the best ways you can improve your focus. When your body and mind are healthy, you can think clearer, manage stress better, and avoid burnout. While your personal health may depend on a number of different factors, the basics are a good place to start: get enough sleep, build in time for physical activity, eat healthy meals, and take short breaks throughout the day. Even low levels of anxiety can make it harder for you to concentrate—so if you’re feeling stressed, take a break, talk to a friend, go for a walk, or try a mindfulness meditation.

And most importantly, remember to give yourself some grace. No one can focus all the time, and it’s normal for your concentration to vary throughout the day or week. 

Focus on what matters

Focus is about more than just getting things done. It’s an approach to work that can help you avoid constant distractions, take charge of your time, and protect yourself from burnout. And while work can sometimes feel fast-paced and chaotic, these tips can empower you to step back and prioritize where to spend your mental energy. 

Related resources

Timesheet templates: How to track team progress

AI at Work: Practical Ways to Start Using AI Today

Data-driven decision making: A step-by-step guide

How Asana streamlines strategic planning with work management

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15 Tips for Reducing Homework Stress & Completion Time

For students with adhd, consistency is key when it comes to handing in homework on time. here, solutions for succeeding at home and in the classroom..

Addressing homework problems is critical, since they are major reasons children with attention deficit disorder (ADHD or ADD) fail in school. Almost every parent of a student with ADHD has been on the front lines of homework battles. Keep in mind that homework doesn’t have to be exhaustive to be effective.

The National Education Association and the Parent Teacher Association recommend 10 minutes of homework per subject per day. In other words, a sixth-grader would spend roughly 60 minutes per evening on homework. If teachers seem to be piling it on, have a friendly discussion with them. In the meantime, these strategies can help.

How to Focus on Homework with ADHD

Solutions: in the classroom.

• Post assignments on the board. Write the homework assignment in the same place on the board each day. Posting assignments to the school’s website is also helpful. Teachers and schools can also use Remind.com, which allows educators to send the assignment to parents and students, so there’s no doubt at home.
• Set aside time each day for students to copy homework assignments in their planners. If attention or language deficits make copying hard for a student, ask another student to write the assignment and discreetly give it to the child. Consider allowing students to take a picture of the board using their cell phones, or e-mailing and texting parents the assignments, too.
• Appoint “row captains” Many of our children have trouble keeping assignment books, so have another student check his work. My favorite is to appoint a row captain for each row in your classroom. At the beginning of class, these designated “leaders” should collect completed homework. At the end of class, they should check to see that homework assignments have been written down by each student in their row.

[ Get This Download: Homework Ideas That Work ]

• Develop a plan which ensures that completed homework returns to school. Talk with the parents of those students who consistently forget to bring their homework to school, and help them develop a plan for getting it there. Suggest that they purchase color-coded folders for all completed work. They can check to make sure homework is completed, is put in the appropriate folder, and is packed in the book bag for the next day.
• Assign the right amount of homework. Some students with ADD work slowly and become easily frustrated. Assigning only the odd-numbered math problems lets a child demonstrate what he has learned without pushing him too hard. By assigning homework that is neither too difficult nor too time-consuming, teachers increase the likelihood that it will be completed.
• Send parents a list of suggestions for productive homework sessions. Parents want to help their child but sometimes don’t know what to do. Two strategies you might mention: 1) establish a set homework time with input from the student; 2) find a quiet location that has good lighting and a clear work space with access to paper, pencils, and a computer.

Solutions: at Home

• Make a plan for tracking homework assignments . Encourage your child to write every assignment in his daily planner. One high school senior wrote his assignments on 3 x 5 cards, pre-printed with the names of his courses, that he stored in his jeans pocket.As a backup, see whether assignments are also posted on a school website or app. Get contact information for a student in each class who would know the assignments.

[ Click to Download: Homework Help for Children with ADHD ]

• Establish time for homework. Some children need a break after classes. Others work best while still in “school mode.” If after-school activities make a regular schedule impossible, post a weekly calendar that lists homework start and finish times.
• Ask the teacher about assignment routines. The math teacher may say, “I assign algebra homework four nights a week, and give a test at the end of each chapter — roughly every two weeks.” This tells you that something is amiss if your child says he doesn’t have any math homework two nights in a row.
• Schedule a five-minute break for every 20 minutes of work. Short, frequent breaks help children with ADHD recharge.
• Respect your child’s “saturation point.” If he’s too tired or frustrated to finish his homework, let him stop. Write a note to the teacher explaining that he did as much as he could. If he has problems focusing, writes slowly, or needs extra time to understand concepts, assignments will consistently take longer than they should.
• Talk with the teacher. If homework sessions are often emotionally exhausting, work with the teacher” to determine whether assignments are too long or are too difficult for your child.
• Consider medication for homework time. Talk with your doctor about a short-acting medication, like Ritalin, which lasts three to four hours. Taking the medication between 3 and 5 p.m. shouldn’t interfere with sleep. Most medications given earlier in the day have worn off by late afternoon. When medications are working, students stay focused, complete homework quicker, and are more likely to remember the material they studied.
• Monitor your child’s progress with a daily or weekly report. Daily and weekly reports from a teacher warn parents when their child is in danger of failing and in need of more supervision at home. The reports help you and your child identify missing homework assignments, so you can find them and get them to the teacher. Younger children need more frequent feedback, so a daily report may be best for them. In some cases, weekly reports may be sufficient for students in high school.
• Request an extra textbook to use at home. Students with ADHD often leave their books at school. Having access to a textbook every night is essential. Once a student with ADHD falls behind, it is difficult to catch up. Since many schools have only one set of books for each student, you may have to purchase extra copies.

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Productivity

21 quick and effective ways to focus on work easily.

You’re determined to finish the task at hand when suddenly something comes up – a ping! – from your email notifications, a hunger pang, or even a coworker popping their head in with a quick office tidbit.

When you finally refocus, you have lost five minutes, fifteen minutes, or maybe even an hour. You cannot find where you left off or why you got sidetracked. You just want to increase your focus and get things done!

Luckily, you are not alone in struggling with this. There are many tips available on how to stay focused at work. Here we will show you how to easily apply the most effective tips.

21 Ways On How to Stay Focused on Work

Being strategic in your approach to easily focus at work requires you to identify what causes your inability to concentrate in the first place.

Some questions to consider are whether the cause is minor, such as you are having a bad day or having a hard time focusing due to a more serious underlying issue.

Here are some common reasons people may not be able to focus at work: [1]

• Lack of sleep
• Stressful lifestyle

There are a variety of reasons for you losing focus at work. However, don’t worry if you can’t exactly pinpoint what’s causing your lack of concentration on any task at hand.

Taking time to reflect on what is possibly causing your lack of focus can help address underlying issues. Once you do so, the decision to stay focused at work is in your hands.

When you know what is causing your inability to focus on work, it all comes down to finding the right techniques and effectively applying them.

Here are 21 ways on how to focus at work:

1. Know Your Triggers

The likelihood of being distracted is directly related to the amount of pull something has on our attention. Increased self-observation and deep introspection help you identify where your boundaries lie.

There are three cues that you need to either set boundaries for or to raise your awareness when your boundaries slip:

You can’t always avoid every single distraction, but if you’re aware of your weaknesses, you have a better chance of putting the right systems in place to reduce exposure to distractions.

The first step in setting boundaries is knowing your triggers and limits – are they mental, emotional, physical, or spiritual?

Once you identify your triggers, you can set healthy boundaries to give you room to do what you want to focus on. Boundaries serve as the framework to focus your efforts and harness your energy so that you can do your best work.

Keep in mind that your limits are your own, so it’s likely to be different than the limits of others.

Our inability to set boundaries results from our fear of offending those around us. However, you have little to no obligation beyond your own guilt to be immediately available to everyone all the time. Once you set boundaries, stand by them.

Read more here: 6 Steps To Drawing Healthy Boundaries For a Balance Life .

2. Communicate Your Boundaries

Ask co-workers (kindly) not to distract you while working.

Once you set up your personal working system where you work at your best, make sure to make others aware of it. This will increase the chances of your colleagues leaving you to focus on work during the hours you set aside for important tasks.

On the flip side, when others at work know you’re on your “free time,” they will pose questions and talk during these periods.

3. Eliminate Digital Distractions

If you’re like most workers, you don’t spend all of your hours at work doing actual work. Be honest. During those perceived lulls at work, the temptation to surf the internet or double-check your notifications can be strong. Remove all digital distractions and reward yourself later.

Action Items

4. make your computer distraction-free.

This is very important for people who always work on their computers. Continued distractions on your work computer will wane your ability to focus at will.

How can you make your computer distraction free?

5. Rethink Your Email Usage

Emails can be extremely distracting. Keeping our email open makes us think we are more connected to others. However, checking our emails often is unnecessary.

The average professional spends 28% of their workday checking emails and responding to emails. [2]

If there is an urgent matter, email would not be the first method of contact for you. People will call you instead.

What can you do to resist constantly checking your email?

Depending on which company you work for and your specific role, there’s a strong possibility you’ll receive a steady stream of company emails daily. Let’s face it: you get a lot. Likely a heavy mix of personal and work correspondence, promos and updates from your sites, and undoubtedly, spam.

Another email strategy you could apply is the polarizing Inbox Zero method.

Originally coined by Merlin Mann, owner of 43 Folders, Inbox Zero will help you to dedicate specific chunks of time to reading and answering emails so that they don’t take over your day.

Here are some tenants of Mann’s original view of Inbox Zero:

• Keep your email application closed for the majority of the day.
• When processing emails, follow the principle of Delete, Delegate, Respond, Defer or Do.
• Respond immediately to messages which can be answered in two minutes or less.

6. Reimagine Your Phone Use

Not all calls are about your apartment being burglarized or a loved one in a precarious situation. So turn off your mobile phone or put it on silent mode during hours when you need all your attention on your work. You can also opt to activate the voicemail service.

You could also request your workmates to inform your callers you will get back to them later instead of always tapping your back or shouting out that you’ve got a call at any time.

Once you’re done with work, call back the earlier callers and explain your situation briefly. In the next two minutes, ask about their concern, note it down and tell them you’d call them back for their needed action. Prepare and write all their needed details, bearing in mind their possible follow-up thoughts on the matter. Then, call them back and always limit the phone conversation to less than three minutes.

Be “Invisible”

You can also set your instant messaging status to indicate you are “busy” or stay “invisible” while you work to remain focused on a task. If you still get IMs, just turn off the notification or program. Turn it on later when your current task is not as pressing.

7. Stay Away From Social Media

It’s usually hard to stay focused at work because something new, interesting, and perky always comes with most social networking sites. Not only will it defeat your purpose of staying focused at work, but there’s plenty of information there that could get your mind unnecessarily perturbed – like a friend’s status about her heartbreak or someone from work getting a raise.

Discipline yourself to log in only when you have extra minutes free. This will help you efficiently use your time to focus on work.

8. Methodically Schedule Each Day

Meticulously planning each day is the best way to approach deep work and one of the best strategies to stay focused at work. It imposes time limits, creating a healthy “pressure on time.”

A lack of a structured plan or schedule is one of the main reasons most people lose focus during a workday.

You’ll have more time control when you schedule each workday because you’ll know exactly what you want to accomplish and when.

The time-blocking (or time boxing) approach holds you accountable by allocating specific periods for specific types of work.

There are different time-boxing methods, such as day-theming. Day theming is dedicating each day of the week to a specific theme instead of switching between different types of work or areas of responsibility throughout the day. This strategy is not about scheduling a perfect day. It’s about giving structure to your workday by forcing you to be more intentional with your time.

9. Make a Daily “To-Do” List and Keep It Nearby

It’s always helpful when you have your list of tasks beside your computer, at any conspicuous place in the work area, or in an accessible app. Here you can learn “ The Right Way to Make a To-Do List and Get Things Done .”

Cross out the “done” tasks when you’ve completed them, and you will have a sense of accomplishment and feel satisfied.

10. Focus on Short Bursts

The tried and true “Pomodoro technique” is a key strategy to improve how you focus at work. It understands that focusing on difficult tasks is both efficient and tiring. You can break it down like this [3]

How to do the Pomodoro Technique :

• Choose your assignment/work to do
• Set the timer to 25 minutes
• Work until the timer rings
• Take a five-minute break
• Take longer breaks (15 to 30 minutes) for every four Pomodoro intervals

11. Prioritize Tasks

The first hour at work is when most people are productive. This is because all energies are yet to be spent. One of the ultimate tips for focusing at work is to put the taxing and difficult task on your agenda during the first hour. This will allow you to use focus to do the most pressing tasks.

Follow these with the less pressing work, and then end with those routine tasks that you find boring.

12. Keep Food and Drink Close to You

Drinking water isn’t only healthy; it refreshes you as well. Once you feel the first sign of fatigue or hunger, a glass of water can push them away. Then you can finish what you’re doing and rest at a later time.

Besides, not all stomach rumblings are signs of hunger, and drinking a glass of water usually deals with it.

Just make sure you have water within arms’ reach. That way, you stay focused at work instead of walking to the water station and becoming prey to distractions!

Food that could settle a grumbling stomach should also be at hand. For the same reason as having 90% of your attention at work, eating within your workspace will not expose you to unrelated activities. Just try to eat healthy snacks so that you can stay energetic.

13. Monotask

According to psychiatrist Edward M. Hallowell , author of CrazyBusy: Overstretched, Overbooked, and About to Snap! Strategies for Handling Your Fast-Paced Life ,

“multitasking is shifting focus from one task to another in rapid succession. It gives the illusion that we’re simultaneously tasking, but we’re really not. It’s like playing tennis with three balls.”

Focus on One Task

When we focus on more than one thing simultaneously, we tend to do all of them poorly. It leads to more mistakes, and as a result, we need to correct ourselves more often. [4]

14. Chunking Tasks

While we might not be able to multitask, we can do two activities simultaneously if they use different parts of our brains. That’s why we can drive and listen to podcasts simultaneously and keep control of our cars—driving has become internalized.

While chunking doesn’t qualify as something that will increase focus, what it does is free up time that we can use for other tasks. Good time management means having the ability to do more. When we have so much on our plate, getting through all can be daunting. But by chunking activities, we kill two birds with one stone.

15. Set Deadlines

Parkinson’s Law states that work expands to fill the time allotted. [5] Put simply, we adjust our work to the time available for completion.

Don’t allow yourself to put things off and instead attack them head-on. Combined with the other techniques and strategies outlined in this article, you’ll be able to rip right through things.

16. Put on Headphones

In most offices, various sounds can prove distracting, like the floor polisher, the mail cart, workmates talking, phones ringing, and sounds of things dropping on the floor. So why not block out distracting stuff?

Protect yourself with headphones so you can stay focused at work. The headphones will ward off surprising sounds and those that get your mind wandering.

Choose Suitable Music

The point of having music in the background while you’re working is to provide ease and inspiration so you can stay focused at work. For some, listening to music pumps up their adrenaline so they can work with greater energy.

But not all kinds of music are pleasant for everyone, and some are not suited to one’s mood. If you want some ideas for the kind of music to listen to, check out this Productivity Music for Focus (Recommended Playlists) .

17. Cultivate Your Best Workspace

Many people find working physically strenuous, even if it’s done seated most of the time.

One of the best tips to focus at work is not to lose precious time and be distracted by discomfort. Get a good chair with great back support, and make sure your desk or worktable is well-structured. That way, you can work for many hours and not find your body and eyes getting strained.

According to science, clutter breaks our attention and also makes us multitask. This causes excess stimulation and loss in productivity. [6]

Too much stuff within arms’ reach or at your desk can prove to be distracting. To stay focused at work, only have the things you need neatly piled on your desk and put the rest away properly, like in a desk drawer or shelves.

Have an area for food and drinks, your bag or purse, and other personal items. But have them within reach so you can just grab a drink without losing focus on what you’re doing.

18. Switch Things Up

Even with eliminating all those pesky distractions and making yourself as comfortable as possible, sometimes you get stuck. It’s at moments like that we need a change of scenery. It’s no use beating a dead horse.

Clear your mind by doing something completely different. That breather will give your mind time to reboot itself. Playing a video game, reading a book, or doing anything completely different from what you usually do can work. It’s amazing how we can increase our focus by simply switching things up.

Going for a short walk encourages a relaxed mindset and increases the chance of us returning to the issue and thinking of new ways to approach it.

Additionally, much research reminds us of the consequences of sitting down too much. A recent article cites sedentary behavior as an emerging health concern [7]

19. Be Kind to Yourself

You probably noticed yourself being extremely critical of small things. They occupy our minds and make us less likely to try again because they’re very easy to believe.

If we’re kinder to ourselves, we’ll spend less time criticizing ourselves over simple mistakes.

20. Always Find the Fun in What You Do

Before starting anything, ask yourself why you should do it. Then, find ways for the task to become fun, like allowing your creativity and imagination to play in the process. Don’t stick within the borders of “approved” output; have your options open for new, fun ideas.

When you make something you can call your own, you’re more likely to stay focused at work.

21. Meditate

Meditation helps you engage with tasks more quickly and with greater consistency. Taking a quick ten minutes to meditate can work wonders. It keeps you calm and relaxed and, in many ways, energizes you when you feel mentally and physically depleted. [8]

The Bottom Line

We are always surrounded by events and people at work that cut off our momentum and affect our ability to concentrate. By consciously keeping ourselves away from these distractions, we can stay more focused at work and get better outcomes

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Explore the time flow system.

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More From Forbes

Five tips to avoid distraction at home.

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Woman works on laptop while sitting by the table in front of panoramic window with great view on ... [+] mountains. Remote work and escaping to nature concept

You would assume that working from home would be old hat by now. I mean, it’s almost 2025 (so sorry for that unwelcome reminder). And yet, if you’re anywhere near as distractible as I am, you’re still struggling to stay on task when you’re at home. For tips on how to stay focused and create a zen remote work den, read on:

Dedicate your Workspace

Make your home feel like an office, without the water cooler and annoying coworkers. This doesn't necessarily mean you need a separate home office; even a small desk in a quiet corner can make a big difference. The key is to have a designated area that signals to your brain that it's time to work, so it should be cozy, easily accessible, and comfy. Equip your workspace with everything you need, so you’re not constantly wandering off.

Tell your People

You’re not at work, so people don’t know you’re working (whereas any time I’ve ever gone into an office, I’ve been incredibly productive. Never once have I strayed!!). Setting clear boundaries with family members or roommates is essential to maintaining focus. Communicate your work schedule and explain the importance of uninterrupted time if they are lucky enough to not have jobs themselves. If you have young children, try to set up a quiet activity for them during your most productive hours. This won’t work; they will still be loud. But at least you tried.

Stick to a Routine

Having a consistent routine can help you stay disciplined and avoid distractions. Start your day at the same time, follow a morning ritual, and set specific work hours. Break your day into manageable chunks, with short breaks in between to recharge. Consistency trains your brain to know when it's time to focus and when it's okay to relax. Prioritizing tasks and setting clear goals can help you stay focused and avoid feeling overwhelmed. Start each day by making a to-do list and ranking tasks by importance. Break larger projects into smaller, manageable steps and set deadlines for each. Having a clear plan and knowing what needs to be accomplished can keep you on track and less susceptible to distractions.

Limit Distractions

If you don’t find your phone distracting, then you’re simply not relatable. It’s scarily easy to get sidetracked by emails, social media, and news. To fight back against the Digital Powers that Be, consider using apps or browser extensions to block distracting websites when you’re trying to get work done. Turn off non-essential notifications (what I like to call “notifications”), and set specific times to check email. By controlling your digital environment, you can significantly reduce the temptation to stray from your tasks, which makes it much easier to stay focused without the structure of an office space.

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While it might seem counterintuitive, taking regular breaks can actually enhance your focus and productivity. Plus, they’re super fun, and you get to check and see what your ex is up to on Instagram. Short (or long, I don’t judge) breaks are really good at preventing burnout and give your mind a chance to rest, making it easier to concentrate when you do sit back down. If you need ideas on what to do in these breaks, I recommend meditation. It’s a powerful stress management technical to keep you focused and relaxed. Or get a cat! That’s my personal fave.

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